


Double Edged

by Eclissy



Category: DragonFable
Genre: F/M, Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-09-16
Updated: 2015-09-16
Packaged: 2018-04-21 01:17:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 32
Words: 263,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4809404
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eclissy/pseuds/Eclissy
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Flung into an unfamiliar world and given a challenge, Ty sets out on an adventure which blurs the line between good and evil. Wolves run rampant in these parts, but should they be feared or fear for themselves?</p>
<p>(A fanwork that aims to work through the entirety of the Dragonfable plot...hopefully? It's seriously long from a writing perspective).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Our Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> All of this has been imported from a different site and as such, most of the Notes won't make sense so I've just chosen to cut them out entirely save for maybe a work here or there. They aren't really important and the story is what the focus is anyway.

I open my eyes for what felt like the first time in a while. I rubbed them as I sat up to survey my surroundings. Its dawn, the grass is still wet with dew and it was only slightly chilly. The stars are still visible, lightly twinkling as they were hanging on the sky. Oh, and I'm on a cliff…..how peculiar. Still a little sleepy, I stood up to take in the view of the rising sun set as a backdrop to a sea of trees. It looked romantic, like a promise of a new start to something beautiful.

I was almost lost in the moment when a single thought came to my mind. As my eyes snapped open, my hands came up to the sides of my head and I yelled.

"BASTARD!"

The asshole, he did this, dropped me in the middle of nowhere with no money or weapons.

This must be one of his sick twisted games again. I tried to backtrack, what happened? I ran my fingers through my hair and strained my mind. Dear gods, it felt like someone bludgeoned me over the head with a bat. In frustration I took a rock from the ground and hurled it over the cliff. Damn it why is it so hard to remember.

All of a sudden, the earth started to rumble and a gust of wind made me fall back. The head of a great red dragon came into view. Its golden eyes were staring right at me. It reared back its head as if to strike.

Well, I have nothing to defend myself with…wait.

Scrambling onto my front, I knelt and closed my eyes, breathed in deeply and concentrated. I waited for the feeling of the waves of my magic to overflow. Perhaps if my magic hasn't been compromised, I could take this guy out. I brought my hand to my face and scrunched my eyes. Just a little more and and…

Nothing

The Bastard sealed my magic too….well shit. No magic huh…

I decided to try the next best thing. Reason with the colossus.

"crap crap crap…..heh heh um hi there…uh I don't think that I have any gold on me sir dragon…..my hair isn't golden either and I'm quite scrawny…no reason to waste your energy on such an insignificant being such as m-myself correct?"

To my surprise however, the beast lowered its head to level its head with the cliff edge. A young woman dressed in white robes rose into view. She stepped onto the dragon's head holding a strange miniature black chest with one dainty hand and had a weird red rat bunny thing under the other arm. The poor thing had a huge bump on its head. Whoops.

The lady looked down at me.

"Please pardon us friend, we are just passing through," she said to me as she set the red creature on the ground.

"Do you feel better Twilly," she asked the creature, Twilly I suppose, with concern.

"No w-worries P-Priestess, Twilly is fine," Twilly stammered as he took a gingery step forward. He took a few more steps, now a little steadier, before turning to look at me.

"Please be careful miss, scarwy rocks are falling out the sky. We don't want you to get hurt," the poor thing said to me.

Flustered, I managed to get out a thank you before I watched the two go on their way. How adorable.

I felt a warm gust of air that reminded me of the dragon still at the edge of the cliff. I became increasingly uneasy as it leaned closer as if to decide whether it would eat me or not. I braced myself for the coming flames, but the dragon drew its head back and slowly lowered itself getting ready to launch into the air. The Dragon then spread its wings, leaped into the air and flew away like a speeding bullet…..or arrow in this case. However, I could have sworn it gave me a look before it flew off…a look that said "expect to see me again."

Well that was strange.

Right, back to the problem at hand. Where was I? Oh right, BASTARD! What did he want now. Perhaps another fetch quest, maybe an event that he wants me to attend or is it just for shits and giggles. I sighed. I'll remember eventually.

I stood up and started to walk briskly away from the cliff. I guess I'll just follow the path that those two strangers took and find out exactly where I am.

Unfortunately the path went through a particularly dense forest, which would have been fine or in fact peaceful if it wasn't so dark. It is still fairly early in the morning after all. I slowed my pace to keep myself from stumbling lest I stepped on something I couldn't see. That would have been a great way to go, but instead I tripped over something, swore and fell face first onto the worn down dewy grass…..a few meters away from where I was originally lying.

In anger I rolled over and kicked the thing I tripped on. My foot hit something surprisingly soft. I sat up and picked up the thing that I tripped on. It was a small bag, small enough to almost be a handbag. I turned it over and found that it had a note attached. I strained my eyes to try to read the writing.

" **To my dear Ty**

**Enclosed is a sword, light armour and some money. All packed into this great bag of holding. Aren't I the Best?**

**Try to Relax**

The bag must have gotten here when that asshole flung me here. The letter perplexed me however. A sword and armour set in this tiny thing….really? I reached into the bag that subsequently swallowed my entire arm. Startled, I began to feel around until my hand hit what felt like a hilt. I carefully pulled it out and examined it. It wasn't a large sword, my arm's length at most. It was however elegant. The hilt was golden with shining silver etchings of symbols and leaves that ran up to the blade. The blade was double edged and lightweight. It was thin but deadly. I ran its tip gently over a nearby tree trunk experimentally. It created deep scratch nonetheless.

"You turned them into a sword…" I murmured out loud as I tucked the bag into my shirt.

Any thoughts I had about the man however, were scattered once I heard a large thumping noise.

From afar, I heard both the Priestess and Twilly.

"Oh my. Who put this carpet in the middle of the forest?"

"Oh noes! That is not a carpet Priestess…it is a Gorillaphant!"

The voices were followed by a great roar that shook the forest.

I broke into a sprint towards the voices. That can't be good.

"I will protect you Priestess!" spoke Twilly, most likely getting in way over his head.

I then heard a pained squeak that was then followed by a red puff ball flying into my face. Fortunately for me, he soft enough to bounce off my face before falling on the ground once again discombobulated. He then looked up at me almost pleadingly.

Jeez, he's so cute I could kick him in the face. Instead I picked him up and placed him on my shoulder. He held onto the back of my head as I ran towards the source of the savage roars.

I soon caught sight of the Priestess, apparently cornered by something. A large snapping noise to my right alerted me to the beast's presence. I narrowly avoided a felled tree that the beast tried to throw at me. Some stray branches had managed to scrape past my face but did no terrible damage. I checked to see if Twilly was still alright to which he let out a small cry and pointed in the direction of the priestess.

The beast was lumbering towards her. How could you have mistaken that thing for a carpet, unless your preference for carpets involved large menacing tusks! It was huge, very muscular and looked terribly enraged. It was as if it wanted to impale the lady on its tusks.

On instinct, I threw my sword at the beast. The sword struck him right in the shoulder…..and flew right through it and stuck itself on a nearby boulder directly beside the Priestess.

The Gorillaphant roared in pain and turned around preparing to charge. In response, I back tracked my steps. The beast is charging now lowering its head, aiming its tusks at me. I stand firm and whisper to Twilly to get ready. Just as the beast is about to run me through, I fall backwards behind the fallen tree the beast threw at me. The Gorillaphant's tusks get caught in the trunk. Its velocity however made the beast flip and rip its tusks through the trunk making it land shy of a few inches from my face.

The Gorillaphant is shocked and still in pain. I am paralyzed for a moment, till Twilly whacks the Gorillaphant with his staff right on the nose. The Gorillaphant cries out, signaling me to grab Twilly and run for the Priestess. The Gorillaphant is right on my tail.

I still reach the priestess first who throws me my sword. I grab the hilt and swivel around and slash the beast's chest. The Gorillaphant jumps back pained. The beast holds its bleeding wounds panting. I stand between it and the Priestess holding up my sword ready to fight back even if I felt exhausted enough to fall on my knees. The Gorillaphant was exhausted as well. With a huff, the creature turned and pushed through into the forest.

I turn around and gently set Twilly on the ground. He happily shakes my hand and returns to the Priestess. The Priestess smiles warmly at me.

"Thank you for saving me brave warrior. May I know the name of my hero?" she enquires as she tips her head in gratitude.

"Well….I'm not actually a warrior class," I say as I bow slightly. I felt a sense of pride though, it was the first time I ever used a sword.

Twilly looks up at the Priestess, completely baffled. He rises to his tippy toes and whispers something to her.

"But Priestess….you said her name was Ty and she is destined to-"

"What?" I exclaim, blinking in confusion. I could hardly make out what he was saying.

The Priestess looks at me then at Twilly and shakes her head in exasperation and sighs.

"Oh Twilly…." She murmurs.

"Alas, we are out of time. Young miss, I must ask an important favor of thee. Would you please let Captain Rolith know that we are taking the shortcut. He's just ahead in Oaklore Keep. I am certain that we will cross paths again."

Twilly then chirps "Especially since she is going to take the Black Dragon Box and…" he trails off when the Priestess gives him a look.

"Oh Twilly..." she says as she shakes her head.

The Priestess smiles at me and takes her leave while Twilly gives a cheerful wave before trailing after her. I wave back but a sudden though comes to mind.

"Um….pardon me but which World are we in at the moment?" I call after them.

Now it was their turn to look confused.

"We're in Lore silly, always have been," Twilly replies as they continue walking.

"Thank you," I replied, awkwardly waving to them.

I watched them disappear into the underbrush of the forest before going off towards the path to Oaklore.

So…I'm in "Lore" I guess. I smile as the promise of new discoveries wormed its way into my heart. This will prove to be interesting indeed.


	2. To my Knowledge

The way to Oaklore was much shorter than I thought. It took me no less than perhaps ten minutes to see the Keep on the horizon. The path was clear and as I emerged from the forest, I noticed that the grass looked lighter and the air was much clearer. It had warmed up significantly as well. The sun now directly above shined down, it was most likely mid-morning about now.

Reaching the walls of the Keep, I looked up to inspect the architecture. The walls were tall and sturdy with no signs of any previous battles. What really caught my eye though was the fact that the actual main tower of the keep was built into a great tree. The tree's branches were still intact as well; its leaves shaded much of the keep. A sense of awe overtook me as well as a familiar sensation that I pushed away. I've never seen anything like it before.

Approaching the keeps doors, I noticed that there was a symbol above the doors. Perhaps it was the insignia of whatever order was situated behind the walls. On closer inspection however it looks like….like….pacman?...Okay, what the hell. I decide to knock on the doors, pushing my thoughts of an insane cult to the back of my mind. No one answered.

"Hello?" I tried to yell through the walls. Greeted once again with no answers I opt to push open the doors. I peer through the doors expecting either nothing or a burning effigy of a ghost. Instead what met my eyes was the sight of fully armoured knights scrambling around yelling orders, carrying supplies or being carried off. In the center of it all was a tall blond man holding a battle hammer. His armour was very different from all the other knights.

"That must be Captain Rolith," I say to myself. Once I give him the message, I can get to finding out what I'm doing here. I then made my way towards the captain, which was a challenge in on itself. The knights were so busy running around, they hardly noticed me and many were bunched up around the Captain. Pushing through the crowd, I reach the Captain's back. He was however quite busy yelling commands at his fellow knights.

"Escuse me," I say as I tap his shoulder. "I have a message for you from a prieste-"

"Sir Riel, I need you to go check on Sir Pernatural's progress. Sir Rup, take those supplies to Sir Junn and your question abou-" Captain Rolith was busy giving orders to the Knights crowding around him. I tried again.

"I have a message for you Captain! It's from the Prieste-"

Captain Rolith shakes my hand off his shoulder cutting me off.

"Yes a message was it?" the Captain answers, his eyes still trained on the knights still scrambling for his attention. Frustrated, he brought a hand up to his face and rubbed his temples.

"Can this wait; the knights need to ask me questions. I'll take it later if it isn't important," he said trying to pick out coherent words through the torrent of noise directed at him by the knights. While I was a little miffed by his words, I drew back from the crowd. I'll come back later, it can't be that important anyway. I decided to explore a bit to get my bearings back.

I turned to head proceed to the nearest resting area but I crashed into someone instead. Paper flew into the air as I stumbled back. The person I crashed into was a young lady with brown hair worn in pigtails and she had spectacles resting on her nose. She and I knelt to pick up her papers.

"Forgive me, I wasn't looking where I was going." I say as I put my sword away to pick up her papers.

"No worries, everyone's in such a hurry today," she replies. "There's no reason to apoligi…"

The lady looks up and her eyes widen. Apparently she got a better look at me and look of horror appeared on her face.

"Oh dear, are you alright?" she says as she approaches me taking my hand. Perplexed, I looked down at myself. Oh…I forgot. My clothes were dirty from the fight I had with the Gorillaphant. There were tears, grass, mud and twigs all over them as well as chimera blood. Bruises were forming on my arms and legs. I bet there were some on my face as well. I ran my free hand through my shoulder length black hair. It was dirty, damp and tangled. I could imagine myself, looking all dishevelled like I was just attacked….which I did I guess. Now that I think about it, it kind of hurts to stand.

"Um…I…its fine, don't worry about me," I try to say.

The lady wasn't listening, however, and called for extra. I started to feel self-conscious when many of the scrambling knights stopped to see what the commotion was about. Some started to approach to offer their knightly assistance. One even offered to carry me; I refused politely of course. Confused by their generosity, I let them escort me to the medical tower without a fuss.

...

A little while later, I was staring up at the ceiling on a cot in their lead doctor's care. Sir Junn was tending to my scratches and the apparent bruising of my ribs while the lady, who gave her name as Maya the Loremaster of Oaklore, was hovering over me. Apparently the well- being of visitors or normal civilians, or villagers I suppose, came first.

"What gave you these injuries? Were you attacked by a sneevil perhaps." Sir Junn asks me as he finishes bandaging the last of my scratches with gloved hands.

"No...I was attacked by a Gorillaphant or whatever it's called..." I say, still a little wary.

"A Gorrilaphant! My, it's been getting more dangerous lately, I'm glad you escaped without too much damage," Maya exclaims.

"That's strange, Gorrilaphants don't usually make scratches when they attack." Sir Junn says checking my injuries one last time.

"Oh, it didn't hit me directly. I probably got these from grazing the tree it tried to throw at me or when I hit the ground to avoid getting gored, I fought it off before it could hit me." I muse feeling a little dizzy. Some were probably from when the bastard flung me on that cliff. I should pay more attention to myself or I might end up walking around without arms.

Maya made a confused sound. I was brought back to attention and noticed that both Sir Junn and Maya were looking at me like I was crazy. First feeling bewildered, I look down at myself, scrawny and still wearing my work dress. Not what most people expect to deter a Gorillaphant.

"Oh...um it may not look like it, but I do have some experience in battle. I was just..." I pause. I couldn't tell them that the bastard flung me here for some reason or another.

"...just going out for a leisurely stroll...yeah. My sword and armour is in my bag, I wasn't expecting a fight I guess... "

"Well whatever the case, please remain here to recuperate. I'm surprised a person like you could stand with those injuries...my mistake, you said you have experience," Sir Junn says embarrassed. "Take a few days for the bruises on your ribs to feel better, I'll go get some potions to speed the process." He turns and heads off to the medical storage.

"So...what class are you?" Maya asks as Sir Junn leaves.

"Well I'm usually a rougue," I answer tentatively sitting up "and sometimes a...mage." I expected a shift in mood when I said this, but nothing changed.

"Interesting, usually I see adventurers who are either one but never both." She says honestly. "Are you by any chance from the Yokai Isles? Or maybe from the Shadow of the Wind Village." She continues.

"uhh...yeah I'm from the Isles," I lie, hoping she wouldn't ask for details.

"That is quite a ways away...what brings you he- oh I'm sorry, you must be tired. I'll let you rest. I need to do some work anyway." She says, standing to leave. "Please do drop by, I'd love to talk some more."

With that she leaves the tower, waving just before closing the door. I lie back down on the cot and close my eyes. I wasn't expecting hospitality. More along the lines of drop message to captain quickly and leaving before anyone notices the strange looking person and calls for the enforcers. They were never that nice back in...in...oh! Now I remember why I was here. It was at that place where this whole ordeal started.

It was very late when I entered the main dining room of our villa. The bastard forgot to sort out the paper work again. The blond young man was at the very end of the long room, looking out the window that overlooked the countryside. I sauntered across the room flipping through them.

"Hey, you forgot to fill these out again. You know if you don't do these, they'll stop sending us money." I said casually. He turns surprised to see me and a suspicious smile appears on his face.

"...Shit, what now," I groan. Whenever he smiles like that, he's always up to something.

"Now is that any way to talk to me," he teased as he came over to give my face a pinch. Unamused, I gave him a look that I could put down a cockatrice.

He backs away and puts his hands up in mock surrender.

"Just teasing," he says as he crossed his arms and leaned back on the window. "I'm glad you're here actually, it has come to my attention that you have not been keeping up with your swordplay. I want you to take some time off to improve."

"That isn't necessary, I'm accomplished in magic and the assassin classes. There won't be any need for that. I am just a documenter after all." I said, shaking my head.

"Yes, that could be true. However, everyone else here has an entire range of classes and gained abilities. You would be...like the poor man's bowler hat on display alongside the wigs and chapeaus of the gentry!" he laughs blithely. "Dear, your swordplay is mediocre at best; I suppose you learn as well as you can relax."

Insulted, I replied "You...I could certainly master my swordplay...in a day if I wanted to. Everything else too! And I can relax...there just isn't any time," I shrug.

He raising a brow and amusement graces his face.

"Really now...everything. Would you like a challenge then."

"Bring it. Any time, any place." I replied, completely confident in my abilities.

The bastard's golden eyes glint in the moonlight. In a flash, he appears directly in front of me and grabs my wrist.

"Then it's settled, I'll send you off right now." He said with a smile as he pushed a small bag into my free hand.

"Wha...ri-right now! You can't be serious! Where are you sending me? Who's going to run the guild, organize the papers, I do all the research and organizing! You can't get rid of me!" I almost yelled incredulously, still struggling in his grip.

"On the contrary, it should be a nice experience. Don't all young people want to go on an adventure? Wouldn't it be nice to get away from your work for once? You'll come back a much stronger person I'm sure! Besides, I can get Emesto to do your work while you're gone." He said backing up and waving a hand for emphasis.

"Your brother! He'll sink the continent into the sea!" I yelled, panic setting in. I already felt dizzy and the space around me started to distort. He was already using his magic.

"You might not remember immediately why I sent you there, one of the drawbacks about traveling like this without me, but you'll manage." He explains, completely ignoring what I said before. "Remember my dear, keep your gloves on, do not let anyone touch you directly unless under extreme circumstances, stay balanced and most importantly...try to relax. I am giving you time off afterall."

"But but..." I stammered still not believing what was happening. I could feel the space around me compressing.

"Have fun!" He said cheerfully. He raised a hand.

"But...Father!"

A frown appeared on his face.

"You know I hate it when you call me that. Next time...call me dad!"

With a snap of his fingers, everything went black.

The moment I woke up, I was on that cliff.

Coming back to reality, I realize that I am gripping the sheets of the cot tightly, almost tearing them. Now it all came back to me. Damn it. Me and my damn mouth. The bastard must have been planning to send me away. Next time I'll shut up. I turn over exasperated. I wanted to tear my hair out in frustration and scream profanities again. I was seriously considering doing that until Sir Junn came back, potion bottle in hand, followed by a wheezing knight who he instructed to sit down on a cot. The knight did so and took off his helmet as well, revealing the red bumps on his face. Sir Junn then turns and walks over to me, frustration written on his face.

"Sorry for the wait. All of the knights are allergic to bees and always get stung. We're running out of royal honey to treat them all." He says as he hands me the red potion. "I should get it myself but I need to take care of the patients. Anyway, I'm rambling, please rest for a day here until you heal completely. The potion will help but it won't erase the pain immediately."

I nod to him and he leaves to treat the new patient. A thought came to mind however. The bastard wants me to improve my swordplay huh, well fine. I get up from the cot and down the entire contents of the potion. Feeling much better, I reach into my bag and rummage through it. I pull out my sword and a hair tie and pin. I pin my hair up as I walk up behind Sir Junn who was now at his desk writing down a report.

"Excuse me but you were saying something about needing bee honey correct? Where would I find it?" I ask from behind him.

"Hm? Oh...It's in a buzzer hive just north of the keep just on the border of the forest. Take the back gate." He says, still focused on his work. I then turn for the door. If I can get the honey, maybe I can get Sir Junn to recommend me to an instructor. I'll breeze through the lessons, go back to the bastard and then kill him...at least that was my original plan. The previous encounters and the way the people behaved were very different from what I was used to. Maybe I'll look around and enjoy myself for a bit. Then I'll find a way back and then kill him.

Just as I was about to leave, I hear Sir Junn almost jump up from his desk.

"What are you doing, you're still healing!" he starts.

"You need the honey correct? It doesn't look like anyone else has any free time and you can't get it yourself; think of it as me returning your services. I need to learn how to be a warrior anyway." I say about to leave.

He had already been in this kind of situation I suppose as he only remained conflicted for a short time before answering.

"...At least put on some armour before you go."

I nod and walk out closing the door behind me. However, my curiosity got the better of me I turned and swung the door open again.

"Um... Sir Junn...is that your actual name?" I ask

He stares back at me quizzically.

"Why of course..."

I stood there for a moment before I thank him and leave for the hive. Though I am quite certain that the doctor muttered something along the lines of "Typical Adventurer" in a exasperated but amused manner.

...

I managed to get my armour on and stuff the money that I had into my pockets as I headed over to the back gate. It wasn't full armour but it was enough to protect my vitals and let me move around as freely as I could without it. I was about to leave when I heard a familiar voice call my name.

"Ty! Where are you going, aren't you injured?"

I turn and find Maya walking towards me. When she reaches me, I explain that I was quite alright and that I was off to collect honey for Sir Junn. Though she isn't convinced that I was completely alright, she didn't keep me from leaving. She instead asked if I could escort her to the hive safely.

"You see sometimes adventurers would find books when they go to collect the honey. They're usually rare, I'd like to see where they find them, for future reference of course." She explains as we enter the forest.

"Books in a beehive." I say incredulously.

"Why yes. You see while these buzzers do eat their honey, they can also be carnivorous."

I almost burst out laughing. Bees, killing and eating someone. Yes I've heard about bees killing people but not on a regular menacing basis. I thought that until I heard a buzzing noise. Looking ahead, I notice that we've arrived at the bee hive...which was the size if a small townhouse. The bees, or buzzers I guess, were also the size of a miniature horse. I quickly grab Maya and hide behind a bush.

"Maya...what do swordsmen or warriors usually do in battle." I ask griping my sword.

"Well I haven't seen solo combat before but what when I watch the warrior knights train, they usually just run at the training dummies, yell loudly and whack it until it falls over." She says in what I thought was a serious tone.

...Fine I'll do it. I'll run in, embarrass myself and possibly get stung to death if that's what it takes to be a proper warrior classman. Even if they're huge and creepy looking...jeez they even have skull markings on their heads. Sucking in a breath, I run in. I'm sure it'll turn out just fine.

...

Well that was terribly humiliating. It wasn't that I got curb stomped by the bees. They were actually surprisingly soft. My sword cut right though a lot of them, I even swung randomly at them and they just flew into me. The real problems started when I actually got into the hive. The waxy walls and floor was covered in honey and I had a hard time keeping myself from getting stuck, I had to slow down to a "briskly walking" pace to keep myself from falling flat. Unfortunately, the buzzers that were in the hive were attacking me from the front and apparently had telepathy as it seemed like the rest of the colony were called back into the hive and were fast approaching me. In a fit of panic, I ruptured the nearest honey comb with my sword. That was either a very good or terribly tragic idea. The capsule... thing that held the normal honey was large and flooded the hive with honey as well as rupture other honey combs engulfing everyone in a sweet mess...ha. The next half an hour or so involved a tedious crawling/swimming race towards the royal honey. At least I crawled/swam, the buzzers sort of tried to twitch their way to me; it gave me an advantage that was for sure. Once I reached the royal honey, I got my dimension defying bag out and pretty much stole their whole supply. I even found the books that Maya was talking about. Then I took another while to get around the angry stuck bees and out of the damned place. Once I reached the entrance, I found Maya sitting on a nearby log reading. She looked up at me, still on my front struggling to get up. She rushed up to me thinking that I injured myself again, took one look over me to see what the chaos that I created and burst out laughing realizing why it had been unusually quiet while I was gone. After she got her breath back, she helped me up and we both walked back to the Keep. I looked back once at the hive, the buzzers would be buzzy...busy for a while.

And now I'm here, splashing water on myself at the keep fountain to get the honey out. Sir Junn was very happy when I gave him the royal honey; it was enough to hold out for a year. Maya was also happy with her new books.

"So, you want to learn how to be a skilled swordsman? But didn't you say that you were a mage and a rogue?" she enquires, handing me a piece of cloth.

"Yes I am but...my father wants me to master other classes." I say after wiping my face. "You see, I'm part of a sort of...guild. We get hired to do jobs...among other things. I guess having more credentials will get more employers interested in us. I'm sure my father has other motives besides getting me to get more experience and cash. I usually just do the paper work and research areas and monsters anyway." I say shaking my head. Maya, taking all the information in, tips her head to the side and thinks for a bit before speaking again.

"Why don't you help the other knights, you'll get a lot more recognition and learning first hand is always a good way to understand quickly. Besides, everyone's busy and I'm sure they won't turn down extra hands." She advises.

"Yeah...I suppose, it's not like I have anything important to do anyways." I sigh, taking a seat on the side of the fountain. Maya thanks me again for helping her get the books and leaves for her library. Now alone, I yawn and dip a hand into the fountain water. Well there's no use staying here and I'm not usually lethargic and I don't want to start to be. I hop to my feet and head off to the nearest disturbed looking knight.

...

For the most part, all I did for them was clearing out the tuskmongers from the gardens, clear out giant rats from the storage closets and more clearing out "insert pest here" from "insert place here." I sort of lost track of what I was doing when I realized the tasks were like the mad libs my little brother would play with...minus the profanities, but at least those were funny. Though one knight did ask me to push another one down a hill...while he was in an outhouse. Completely tasteless but also a complete riot. Oh and this other guy asked me to help him get some weapons from a tomb where one of the former knights of the keep (with a terribly unfortunate name) rests and regularly reanimates himself. He was supposed to give us a weapon after we defeated him. It also got sort of monotonous after we both beat him for the 9th...10th time I suppose before we got most of them...and after he stopped dropping the same damn thing each time. I got some swordplay pointers however, but the knight said that if I wanted to get a lot better, I should go to either the Captain or Sir Vivor. The latter was more likely to help me out. As I headed to meet Sir Vivor, I noticed that Captain Rolith was in the same spot he was before, still as busy as ever.

Rounding the next corner, I see a small catapult. A knight was trying to climb in and was trying to convince his friend to launch him at the same time. Said Knight turned his head and started to wave me over. I suppose words travel fast in the keep. I decided to approach.

"Hey, you must be the noobie that I heard about. Maya told me that someone with your description needed a lesson on being a warrior and would come looking for yours truly." The Knight said. This must be Sir Vivor. He seems normal.

"We don't mind an extra passenger, right Sir Casm?" he says looking back at the other knight.

"Sure."

"Right…so check this out. We made the fastest way to travel to the kingdom. If we can get the coordinates right, we could get to the ruins that hold Sir Jing's legendary weapons. Hop in." Sir Vivor says.

"You see, Sir Jing used to be part of our order. He was a great knight known for his use of electrical energy weapons. We even nicknamed him Sparky….then he died and left his weapons in some ruins for some reason and now the elementals have flocked over to their location and are using them to summon a storm that'll destroy our world." Sir Vivor explains as he helps me in.

"That sounds kind of serious." I say, wondering why no one else was helping them.

"Very Serious." Sir Casm adds as he jumps in to join the load. I could almost hear his eyes rolling.

"…Well you'll see. I'll help you out with your training while we try to get the weapons back. With this catapult, we'll be there in no time." Sir Vivor assures me. Alright, that sounds good. Now just get out the medieval parachutes please.

"Like it did the last 10 times?" Sir Casm voices as he raises his sword to slash the spring.

"Oh shi-" was what I managed to get out before I felt my stomach do 5 flips and get flung into the air.

…..

We got to the ruins on some stroke of luck. My companions, and gods forbid the people who were supposed to teach me to fight, crashed right onto the grey rocky ground skidding to a stop at a ruined wall. I was sort of lucky, I hit a dead tree which sort of broke my fall….and maybe my ribs finally snapped. Sliding down the tree, I semi crawl towards the knights that were already on their feet, probably used so used to having their bones broken that their bones were probably as hard as adamantite. I was about to rip them a new one but I was stopped by a bright flash immediately followed by a crash of lightning. I quickly stood up, ignoring the pain in my sides. The pain was most likely nothing. All three of us ran up to the nearest wall and peered around its corner.

In the distance we saw a flight of stairs going up a pyramid which was surrounded by elementals. The storm was building up in the sky above. There were at least 30 elementals. I turned back to ask how we were going to tactically take them down. Sir Vivor however was running headlong into them, yelling something about pumpkins.

"How is he "Sir Vivor" if he's so reckless!" I say, also realizing why he didn't pack any parachutes.

"Oh he's Sir Vivor alright. One time Captain Rolith and the rest of us got locked in the basements by mistake, Sir Vivor immediately suggested that we start drinking our own p-" Sir Casm started but was cut off by a loud explosion.

I turned and ran towards the elementals see if the Sir Vivor wasn't a pile of ash. However, I was greeted to the sight of him knocking down an energy elemental with his sword, whirling around to slash another and throwing a small dagger at a thunderhead. I started to sprint harder towards him.

"Alright kid, check this out." He yelled, noticing that I've caught up to him. "Defend with your weapon like this, you don't always need a shield. Wound by stabbing and twisting, use a partial hack when using an axe! Rogues and ninjas aren't the only ones who use throwing knives, learn how to throw multiple ones at the same time, much more efficient! Keep your movements flowing; make combos. Don't be afraid to use your voice!" he yells to me as we fight off the elementals, demonstrating each move in quick succession. I follow his examples as he continues his lesson and soon realize that the elementals weren't as tough as they looked. Sir Casm soon joins us and we wrap things up nicely.

We all then race up the stairs of the ruined pyramid. Once at the top, I see a chest on the other side of a clearing…right behind 3 huge elementals. I feel a slight push and stumble a step forward.

"Now time to demonstrate what you learned!" Sir Vivor says with what I hoped was total confidence.

"You'll survive." Sir Casm adds.

I nod and turn to meet my foes. All were fairly large, a head taller than me and looked like they don a number of unpleasant things to one too. Trying not to hesitate and run at the wind based one and took a slash at him. I was surprised when it hit but I took no time to think about logic and instead back kicked his electrical friend that approached me from behind. A hard splash of water to the side of my head disoriented me and a blunt force to my chest knocked me back. The water elemental had gotten the better of me but I retaliated by giving it a swift kick…which lodged my leg into its chest. Stuck and struggling to get my leg free, the energy elemental recovered from my previous attack and took the opportunity to punch my back as well as giving me a slight shock. I winced but quickly regained my composure and hacked off the water elemental's head making it melt into a puddle. I then swung my now free leg around into the energy elemental, disintegrating it. Only the wind elemental was left. It approached and tried to hit me, but I blocked its arm with my sword and pushed forward to try to overpower it. Successfully shoving it back, I stabbed my sword into the elemental and it faded away into a breath of air.

I hear clapping from behind me and turn to see both knights walking up to me.

"That was pretty good for a beginner." Sir Vivoir says to me.

"It sure was." Sir Casm adds.

"…Well I thought she did well." Sir Vivor says as he turns to his colleague somewhat miffed like I was.

"Yeah, that's what I meant." Sir Casm replies.

"Oh…okay. It's just hard to understand you sometimes," Sir Vivor says "….anyway how was the fight." He continues looking back to me.

I put some thought into it. It felt way too easy, their attacks felt padded in a way…and I'm not a Mary Sue so what's wrong?

"Are you sure these elementals were a real threat." I ask him.

"Well…" he starts as he walks towards the now unguarded chest. "You see, they were drawing power from Sir Jing's weapons but…" he continues as he opens the chest and pulls out a bronze dagger. Electrical energy pulsed around its tip. Sir Vivor examines the blade for a second….before throwing it at Sir Casm. It hit its mark and even got stuck into his armour.

"Ouch. That hurt." Sir Casm says unimpressed I suppose.

"I said that Sir Jing himself was pretty great but his weapons were only legendary when he used them. Their stats are pretty bad on their own. Good for beginners I guess, but not enough to make all those elementals real threats. I brought you here since it'd be a good experience for a beginner." Sir Vivor explains. He reaches in to grab another dagger and tosses it to me. "Here, take one just in case you need an extra weapon."

I grab it out of the air and put it into my bag. Though it was light, it didn't look like it could pierce through armour or hide and the shock it gave off was only enough to maybe electrocute a small rat. Maybe I could trade it in and buy another one later.

"We should head back, it's getting dark." Sir Vivor says looking up at the sky. The sun was setting and the stars were starting to appear. "If we run, we can get back in an hour or so."

The three of us then started to run back in the direction of the keep while Sir Vivor asked me how good of a crash course teacher he was.

…..

Pushing open the doors of the Keep's back gate, I laugh when Sir Casm praised Sir Vivor's survival tactics while they were out scouting with a bunch of other knights and getting lost. He was going to say something about Sir Vivor already suggesting that they eat one of the smaller knights before Sir Vivor cut him off with an indignant retort in a way that made me think that he was blushing behind that helmet of his.

"All of you knights…aren't really what I'm used to." I throw in.

"Really? How so?" Sir Vivor enquires as we pass the fountain. I noticed that the torches around the keep were being lit.

"Well, where I come from…the knights usually don't do much more than beat up woodland animals, get drunk, bully the local farmer and steal his prettier daughters." I answer.

"….Wow. Which part of Lore do you come from?" Sir Vivor replies.

"They must be absolute saints." Sir Vivor comments.

I was about to give them more details but I noticed that we were now back in the center of the keep and that the Captain looked a lot less busy that he was before. I excused myself from the group and once again tried to approach the Captain. One of the knights that I had helped out before was in the group that surrounded the captain noticed me and asked if I had anything important that I wanted to tell the captain. All eyes were on me and both Sir Vivor and Sir Casm walked up to join the group wanting to know what I wanted to say.

"Oh it's nothing that important. While I was on my way here I met a Priestess and she asked me to tell you that she was taking a shortcut through the woods." I say to the captain.

The moment I finished, the captain's face paled and the mood in the group shifted to a much tenser one.

"Wha-What! The Priestess Celestia's going through the woods, and she isn't stopping here! Why didn't you tell me sooner?" He coughs out surprised. "The woods are crawling with bandits by now and their all looking for her!"

"Well...this was a while ago and she did say she was going to take a shortcut so the bandits probably haven't gotten to her." I say nervously. It was a shortcut and I didn't see any bandits at all in the forest. The other knights around the clearing were coming to see what all the commotion was about.

"I don't think you understand. Lady Celestia's shortcuts are known to be terribly scenic and take around a few more hours to go through then the regular routes." He says to me. "Sir Vivor, organize a search party. Everyone else, we must find her as soon as possible, she is in grave danger."

In less than a second after he gave the orders, everyone was off. The knights all charged out of the keep. Sir Vivor gave me an understanding squeeze to my shoulder before heading off into the keep's main tower to alert more knights.

Now alone in the clearing, I'm left wondering what to do. It wasn't my fault that this happened. How was I supposed to know that the message was that important…Well drat, I could just leave them to get the Priestess themselves. It wasn't my problem but…I actually like these people and the Priestess strikes me as a likable person so maybe I'll go look for her too.

Though I felt exhausted and the pain in my chest was getting worse, I took my sword out of my bag and run outside the main gate of the keep and down the trail back into the forest. If I'm lucky, the Priestess was alright and was having a late picnic with Twilly and all of the bandits got eaten by a dragon. But considering my day so far, it was highly unlikely.


	3. Of What Importance are You?

The sun was almost down and it was almost too dark to see in the forest. I rushed as fast as I could through it looking for any sign of the Priestess. I abandoned the path a while ago when I remembered that the Priestess Celestia took a cut through the woods. A sharp pain in my side almost makes me trip but I grimace and keep running. My ribs still hurt like the pit, maybe I should've waited to join a search party… but waiting never helped me any time before.

The faint sound of voices up ahead gets my attention and I dash towards it. Please let it just be the Priestess having a picnic with Twilly….please please ple-

"Give me the box Priestess, and maybe we'll kill you quickly." A voice commands.

"Oh for the love of dear fuu…" I sigh. Just wonderful…

Nearing the source of the voices, a clearing in the forest, I decide to hide behind a tree and peek around it to gauge my soon to be opponent. It was a man holding a well-crafted sword, a bandit I guess, only slightly taller than me. He was standing across only a meter or two from the Priestess who was quite tense and was clutching the black box with what looked like an iron grip. Looking him over, I don't really see anything coherently impressive or noteworthy. Not  _that_ tough looking but I'll be careful nevertheless.

Before I could react, the man quickly moved up to the priestess and takes a swing at her with his sword, knocking the black box from her hands. Without thinking, I jump out of my hiding place and force him back from the Priestess, surprising him. Now I was the one thing between him and the Priestess…plus the box.

"Ty! We must protect the box at all costs." The Priestess tells me, voice filled with urgency.

"Alright then Priestess…I'll take care of this…please move back." I tell her quietly while still keeping an eye on the bandit.

"I may not know who you are or why you want the box, but if you come any closer I'l-"

"My name is  **DRAKATH**! I am the leader of the Darkwolf bandits and rightful ruler of this land." He says cutting me off, practically yelling. "That box is the key to my throne and there's no way I'm letting a  _peasant_ like you keep it from me.  **Stand down** or, like the trash that you are, be blown away by  _my_  great  _destiny._ " He finishes, still keeping an intense glare on me.

Almost an entire beat of silence follows and I think my mouth was hanging open in shock. I try my best to keep calm and bite down on my lip but it was too much. It started as a small sound at the back of my throat…which soon grew into an airy laugh. I brought a free hand to my mouth trying to muffle it but there was no use. He didn't look too amused and was about to say something like "you're going to pay for the disrespect" or some other conceited shit like that, but I decide it was my turn to cut him off.

"Oh….hm..hehe..jeez did you rehearse that in front of a mirror mister?" I say as I put my free hand on my hip, regaining my composure. At any other time, maybe I would've taken this  _slightly_ more seriously, but not from this wannabe. It seemed like he was dying for a moment for when he could give his speech. All it was missing was for his cape to wave in sudden dramatic wind. "That's sure some introduction. I was just going to take the box and the Priestess and just leave…but now I can't wait to beat the crap out of you. Let's see if you can stop me  _destiny boy._ " I taunt, raising my sword.

Drakath scowls and backs up. Two other bandits drop out of the trees onto the ground next to him.

"Get her!" He orders, pointing at me. Both of them start to charge.

"This isn't making a good first impression you know." I say taking a fighting stance.

One bandit runs ahead and gets to me first. He raises his club…mace thing and tries to hit me. Instead he stumbles when I side step him and slash him in the back of his knees. He falls on all fours and I knock him out with a quick kick to the head before the other bandit catches up. The bandit was about to make a blow to my side but I deflect the attack and jump back to dodge the rebound. The hit was strong; my hand was quivering from the effort of deflecting it. If even one blow were to hit me, it would break my bones. However…..the bandit was sluggish and sloppy. I suspect the other one would have performed the same way if he wasn't face down on the ground out cold. Dodging the bandit's attacks was like playing on easy mode. All I had to do was keep moving backwards and the bandit would keep jumping at me and missing. Tiring, the bandit puts all of his efforts into getting one shot at me. I jump to the side and he hits a tree instead and loses his grip on his weapon. Finally defenseless, I bolt up to him and punch his neck and he falls to the ground. I hope I didn't crush his windpipe.

"Alright then, let's see if you're any better than yo-"I start but a sharp pain running across my back stops me and I fall forward. Grimacing, I turn my head to see Drakath about to make the final blow; a triumphant smile appears on his face. I roll left to avoid his sword, which stabs into the ground. In an instant, I jump back onto my feet shoulder check him just as he pulls his sword out from the ground. He staggers, but is quick to strike back.

"Striking from behind, how sly of you," I say, blocking his attack. Our swords clash against each other as we fight for the upper hand. Fortunately for me, he was almost as bad at fighting as his goons were. Though he is stronger than his underlings, he still swings his sword like an amateur, and that's saying something coming from me.

"No wonder your bandits are so clumsy, their master is a clown in swordplay." I mock, still parrying his attacks.

"You will regret insulting me, witch!" he retorts, riled up.

He makes a wide horizontal swing, aiming for my torso. Without delay I lean back, the tip of his sword grazes me momentarily. The moment his blade completely misses me, I jump forward and punch his face. The satisfying sound of my fist hitting the side of his face reaches my ears. Megalomaniacs usually like their faces don't they? I hope it gave him bloody nose.

The force of the impact made him drop his sword and a kick to his side makes him tumble to the ground on his front. He reaches out and grabs the hilt of his sword, but I stomp on his hand, keeping him from getting back up. He looks up to find the tip of my sword pointing at his bruising face.

"Looks like I win this one." I say to him, smirking. He hesitates and his eyes dart from side to side before he realizes his defeat.

"I-Impossible! You got lucky this time warrior!" he hisses.

"Don't flatter yourself. The only reason why I only  _tarnished_  your face is because there is a lady present," I tease, motioning to the Priestess. "Then again, there is also another one sprawled on the ground in front of me."

"You will see me again." He growls, clearly outraged.

"Then I will look forward to it." I answer, lowering myself to face him directly. I then grab his collar, piulling his face closer to mine and making the tip of my sword poke at his throat. "My name is Ty, and don't you dare forget it."

"Oh I won't…you can count on that." He replies before disappearing in a puff of smoke, sword and all.

I immediately fall onto my hands in pain. Reaching to the wound on my back, I feel warm blood still flowing out of the cut. It was pretty deep. I hear footsteps approaching and look up to see the Priestess kneeling beside me. She helps me up and I dust myself off.

"Priestess Celestia, I am glad that you are unharmed." I say to her seeing that what I said is true.

"Thank you, I am very grateful for your rescue. Alas, the box was taken by a sneevil while you were busy smack-talking…among other things." She says to me almost cheerily.

I didn't catch the last part of what she said however; I was too busy being astounded at what she said before.

"Bu-but..you…what is…why? Why didn't you tell me!" I manage to spit out. It was important enough for the both of us to risk our lives for it, and she doesn't tell me when a sneevil or whatever spirits it away!

"Well, you were really on a roll and it would have been awkward to have interrupted you." She replies.

I was about to spit out more disbelieving gibberish but the sound of an approaching sound stops me. I turn and find Captain Rolith rushing into the clearing with the search parties.

"Lady Celestia, are you unharmed?" he asks the lady, still breathless from searching.

"I am quite alright Captain; there is no need to worry. Ty had defeated the bandits that were attacking me. It was quite the rousing fight." She says motioning to the fainted bandits. Oh right…they're still there.

"Thank Lorithia," Captain Rolith sighs. "But please Lady Celestia, be more careful. If Ty didn't make it in time…"

"Do not fret captain; I will take a safer route." Lady Celestia replies. She then returns her focus to me. "Ty, you must retrieve the Black Dragon Box before it falls into the wrong hands. Please travel to the town of Falconreach and meet with Twilly. He must have friends who can help you find that sneevil."

"Well alright the, I will go to Falconreach but…what of you?" I ask her.

"Well… if you are going after the box with Twilly then…I am going to teleport back home and have a spot of tea." She replies.

"Um…what?"

"Oh dear…that was supposed to be a thought…" she murmurs. "Oh well…Thank you. Bye" she says waving before disappearing into thin air. I just stood there, about to explode. Why the  _hell_ didn't she just do that before?

The sound of a cough makes me turn around. Captain Rolith and the other knights had witnessed the entire conversation.

"I thank you for saving the Lady Celestia. I know that you have an important job to do but please stay at the Keep for the night. We can direct you in the morning." Captain Rolith offers.

"Thank you for inviting me to stay but there is no need," I say shaking my head and partially bowing. "I will travel to Falconreach as quick as I can." I turn to leave but a hand on my shoulder stops me.

"It isn't that I think you will not make it to Falconreach but it is already dark and the way to Falconreach is fairly far…..also you're dripping all over the ground." The captain points out.

"Huh? ...Oh right….there's a searing pain in my back." I say realizing that the grass is becoming red. Jeez, it must be pouring out of my back. "I guess a night won't hurt my chan…" I trail off before coughing and feeling liquid spurting out of my back. The knights stagger forward but I raise a hand to stop them. "It's okay, I can walk. I don't think I'm dying. Just…just lead me back…it really is getting…dar-" That was the last thing that came out of my mouth before everything faded out of focus and everything went sideways. A bunch of gray smudges crowd around me chattering worriedly. I try to say…something but it came out sounding like "nrgyddhghihs." That made the chattering become more frantic.

"Alright step aside men, I'll take her back." I hear faintly before someone picks me up and we start moving.

"You two, pick up those bandits. We need to bring them back too."

"How come we get the criminals and you get the-"

"I'm the teacher!"

"Fine…I'm going to teach the next amateur then."

A hearty group laugh breaks out and I wanted to join in but all that came out was a sputter.

"Pick up the pace!" Someone, Captain Rolith maybe, says.

Before I blacked out completely, I catch a few more words.

"So…am I a good teacher or what?"

" _Of course you are."_


	4. When No One's Around

Peeking around the corner of the gate, I prepare to set off. I had spent too much time in the keep and the head aches were starting up again. I had already packed the essentials and bought a few extra things at the store yesterday. I even found a lighter tucked away into the corner of my bag. If anyone asks, it's a magical artifact.

"What are you doing up so early?" Whirling around, I find Maya standing behind me.

"I um…I think I've outstayed my welcome," I say, flustered. "I was just about to sneak out but I guess you caught me.

"Oh no, you aren't a bother at all," she assures me. "But I thought you were going to train with the knights." I was going to but that asshole knocked me out for a whole day and I spent the next two in the medical ward. I did sneak out a few times to train in secret with them. It was still a bother explaining how I healed so fast, exclusive attributes or not.

"I was but…something came up so now I'm in a hurry…" Jeez, I manage to sneak past trained warriors at an ungodly early hour and somehow get caught by the librarian. Maybe I really do need more experience.

"I see…so I guess you're heading to Falconreach. Please be careful, last time I heard from them, a war was going on with the undead."

What? Really?" I exclaim a tad bit too enthusiastically.

"Why yes, the undead attack there often," she replies, taken aback. "Is that a problem for you?"

"Oh no, nope, not at all, not one bit." I say shrinking back. If there's a war with the undead in the next town over, then I'm in the clear. I look over my shoulder at the path to Falconreach. The sun was just breaking over the horizon. Spots of sunlight were appearing on the path making the dewy grass and flowers around it shimmer. There was even a soothing breeze flowing through the trees. It was a very good morning. That almost always usually meant that the day's trouble was hiding somewhere close. "How far to Falconreach?"

"Not very far. Perhaps an hour or two. Just stay on the path," Maya answers.

"Then I'll be sure to rush over and lend a hand," I tell her, turning back to face her. So now to say goodbye…god I'm terrible at goodbyes. So what just wave and leave? Shake her hand maybe? Great, now she's waiting for me to say something. Well, there's always the way that father and John say goodbye. Without another thought, I bowed, arms rigid at my sides.

"Thank you for all of your hospitality," Rising, I take her hand and lay a kiss on it. "Please pass my thanks over to Sir Rolith and the others," I pronounce in the politest, most gentlemanly way I could. I let go of her hand but Maya remained frozen in spot, a blush was rising to her cheeks. A few seconds pass and she suddenly regained her composure, stuttering and looking around shyly trying to think. Realizing that I was still watching her, she suddenly drops into a bow.

"No, thank you for helping us so much and-and for getting the books for me!" She manages. Did I overdo it? "I wish you the best of luck on your journey!" Stifling a laugh, I watch her rise back awkwardly.

"I'll be heading on then," I say turning. "Maybe I'll visit again sometime," I lie, turning and setting off.

"Take care!" she calls back to me. I smile back at her and begin to walk faster. I felt her eyes on me for some time before I disappeared into the dense woods.

* * *

 

How the hell did it get dark so fast! It must have been an incredibly sunny day out but the trees were almost completely blocking the light. At the least, the path was clear and I was sure I was almost out of the forest. I'm making good time; I might actually get to the undead before I get another breakdown!

As if on cue, my vision started to blur and I felt a sharp pain pierce through my mind, causing me to grab onto a nearby tree for balance. My eyes begin to water and it feels like someone was trying to choke me to death. A faint ringing starts up in my head and black dots start to obscure my sight. Grasping at my neck, I try to fight the fit off and as suddenly as it came, it almost instantaneously disappeared. I was just suddenly back to normal. I sink down to my knees, giving myself time to relax. I had broken into a cold sweat and apparently I had bit into my cheek. Annoyed, I spit a mouthful of blood out and stand back up. So I guess it was worse than I thought.

"This is just perfect," I breathe out, rubbing my cheek. Suddenly, I hear a rustle from the darkness and a chuckle from above. Tensing, I grip my sword tightly and cautiously move forward.

"Okay, what do you want?" I call out into the shadows. "I'm in a hurry so get down here already!" Two figures drop down from the trees and land in front of me. I sense another falling down flat on the ground behind me. He manages to get up without drawing any more attention.

"Ha! Another victim falls to the Darkwolf Bandits!" One of them declares. So these are the ones that Drakath commands. My day just got a whole lot better; I mean who could resist free experience.

"We didn't get the element of surprise but you're still outnumbered. Now give us all of your gold and hp," the second bandit commands.

"…Look, I'm sort of on edge right now, so how about this. You lie down, roll over and I'll take your gold without having to give you all a concussion," I sigh. "That'll save us a lot of trouble and my valuable time." A beat of silence passes and they all break into bouts of laughter.

"You have some nerve hero. You would have made a good bandit. It's too bad we have to waste you. GET HER!" All three immediately rush towards me.

Groaning, I drop down into a crouch and watch as the clumsy bandit brains one of his comrades by mistake. The two that remain hesitate, watching as their friend falls to the ground either out cold or dead. I take the chance to spring up and elbow Mr. Clumsy in the teeth. His jaw makes a sickening crunch when I make contact, sending a couple of his teeth flying. Wisely, he decides to make a run for it and dash into the darkness, clutching his mouth.

"Just you and me now, all even," I sneer at the last bandit, drawing my sword as I approach him. The bandit's looks nervous now, backing away slowly. "What are you waiting for? Come at me!" I jump at him and he takes a wild swing. It's too slow and I stab into his thigh, making him scream and lose his grip on his mace. He collapses onto his back. Groaning, he tries to get up but I stomp on his stomach, squeezing the air out of his lungs.

"I wouldn't try anything if I were you," I tell him almost teasingly. He opens his mouth to shout at me but I stop him by twisting the blade in his leg. These bandits can sure screech like banshees when you prod them enough. It's amazing. "Wouldn't want this to get any worse, do we?" I smile down sweetly at him. He glares back but it's easy to tell that he's panicking and might be in need of new pants.

"Y-you-" he manages to sputter before I twist the blade again. Another girlish shriek pierces through the air.

"What did I say about trying anything?" I say, exasperated. I grab his loot bag and dump the contents. As expected, there was less gold on him than there was on a tog. "Now listen carefully. Even though I'm in a bad mood right now, I'm willing to let you crawl away. I suggest you crawl fast because really, that wound doesn't look too good," I say in mocking concern. "But make sure you're leader gets a good look at you. Let's say it's a warning. A warning that the next time we meet, you're going to look like a goddess compared to what I'm going to do to him." With that, I rip my sword out of his thigh and then stomp on his throat of good measure. I'm tired of hearing him yelp.

"You better pull yourself together and hurry back," I call back to him as I continue on my way. A volley of garbled curses comes flying my way in response. I guess I made my point.

...

Emerging from the trees, I start to jog slightly. Now that it was brighter and that I was not far from my destination, I feel a little better. Back in the forest, I was starting to get panicked. I really hate those fits and it's been maybe around a month since the last time I got a hold one of the reanimated.

"Shhhh!" a voice squeaks, stopping me in my tracks. I look to the source of a voice and find a blue, mouse thing standing on a stump. It looks kinda like Twilly… if he had a scar, blue fur, wore a withered shawl and sporting a nasty smirk. Oh, there was also a sleeping bear next to him "Careful adventurer. You wouldn't want to wake up this hungry, giant, sleeping, man-eating bear.

"Oh, geez. That was a close call!" I whisper back to him. "I'll be sure to sneak by." I take a few tentative steps forward, watching from the corner of my eye as the little blue creature turns to the bear, preparing to shout.

"HEY BEAR WA-" I swiftly cut him off by jumping over and grabbing his maw and holding it shut.

"Do you think I'm an idiot or something," I quietly growl to him, lifting him off of his feet and shaking him for good measure. "I just got attacked and I'm not in the mood for another round. So, if you make another sound, so help me, I will rip the stuffing out of you and stuff this bear with it. You got it you little shit?" He must have been in shock or something since he didn't respond. His eyes were wide and he became ridged, ears flopped down and limp. I'm not complaining though. With that, I sneak past the bear, crossed the bridge, tossed the blue rat into the river and got to Falconreach safely. I wish.

I didn't step on a twig, didn't sneeze, I didn't do anything. The freaking bear just decided to wake up. Maybe this world just plain hates me. The bear lifted its head, yawned and stared directly at me and the furball. I heard a growl rising at the back of its throat. Both the rat and I looked at each other and I could see the terror in his eyes. He most likely saw the same thing in mine. The next thing I did was on pure instinct. I just booked it. I don't really care if it's the wrong thing to do when faced with a bear, but I'm pretty fast and I'm sure it would have eaten me either way. Seriously, bears are terrifying; I watched one face off with a dragon before. The dragon had no idea what hit him.

I was dashing down the path as fast as I could. I feel the bear's massive paws chasing after me, slamming on the ground, sending tremors. The blue rat was screaming into my hand. I didn't dare look back lest the bear took the chance to swipe my face off.

Then in the distance, I see the bridge to Falconreach. I was almost there. A roar sounds off behind me. I'm sure the bear knew that too. Nearing the bridge, I see a knight approaching me.

"Hail adventurer, what's the hur-" he chokes on his last words and turns on his heel, sprinting down the bridge. Understandable. I strain myself to catch up to him. He stops suddenly when he reaches the middle of the bridge. Confused, I halt next to him and look back. The bear had stopped its chase and was dashing in the other direction. Strange… but I'll take it.

"Excuse me, are you alright?" The knight asks me. I look back at him, still in the process of coming down from my adrenaline high, and stare at him blankly. A muffled "put me down" snaps me back to attention and I realize I still have a chokehold on the rat.

"Oh…um…I wasn't hurting him, I swear!" I stammer dropping the blue thing on the ground. He made an audible squeak when he hit the ground and started to gasp for breath.

"You unresp-" he starts before I subtly stomp on his tail. He clams up immediately and falls over, covering his mouth.

"Anyway, I'm alright. My name is Ty and you are…?"

"I am Sir Pent." Wait… what!

"Oh no it isn't," he stares back at me bewildered. "It can be anything but Sir Pent."

"What are you prattling on about?" the rat, having gotten up, asks. Frantically, I kick him down towards the end of the bridge and start pushing Sir Pent towards the end as well.

"We have to leave right now!" I say desperate. The idiotic rat was running back towards us, fury scribbled all over his face. "What do you think you're doing!" I yell to the creature. Sir Pent, who was still baffled at what I was doing, looks back at me and starts to ask me what I was so worried about. A tremor stops him from getting a word out and makes us both stumble. A crack had formed under the furball, freezing him is his tracks. There was something under the bridge trying to break through the underside. It rammed the underside again, this time knocking all of us over. Sir Pent scramble to his feet and rushes towards the blue rat, probably meaning to save it. Finally the bridge gives and three heads shoot through the bridge causing a flurry of water and wood splinters to rain down on us. The force sends the blue rat flying into the river and throwing Sir Pent over the side of the bridge. He manages to grab the ledge and I dash over to him to try to haul him up. A shot of water hits me before I can make it to him. The shot hits hard and flings me backwards. Annoyed, I wipe the water from my eyes and gaze up at the creature. The beast, or maybe beasts, was huge, scaly and quite breathtaking. Glistening green scales, huge black teeth and beady blue eyes. One of my older sisters once told me traits like that in a hydra were considered attractive for both males and females. She then smiled like an idiot which made me want to throw up. I sort of feel like doing that right now.

"Be careful, it's a Hydra!" Sir Pent warns me, still dangling on the ledge. Well thanks for the heads up captain obvious. Though in all honesty, I have no idea how to bring this guy down. Well then, I guess I'll solve this problem the way I have been doing since I've gotten here. Rush at it and hope for the best. I grit my teeth and make a mad dash towards the hydra. The heads screech and start attacking with blasts of water and the manliest weapon of all, bubbles. There is no way I'm going to let myself get killed by getting bubbles blown at me. I weave through their barrages, draw my sword and launch myself at one of the smaller heads.

I land on the top of its head and stab down. The creature cries out and starts to jerk around, swinging me back and forth. The other two heads start blasting me with water and bubbles in an attempt to get me off without hurting the wounded hydra head. Hanging on to the hilt of my sword with one hand, I reach into my bag with the other trying to find anything that could help. Then, I feel a brush of a hilt on the tips of my fingers and rip the object out. Sir Jing's dagger; it'll end the fight in seconds. Smiling, I prepare to stab the creature and finally get this lengthy excursion over with. Before I can make contact, however, the hydra makes one last flail and dislodges my sword, flinging me back towards the bridge. I watch as the dagger slips out of my hands and into the river below.

My back hits the bridge and my head bonces on the wood, putting me into a daze. Through my fuzzy vision, I look up towards the hydra. All of the heads let out a shriek and throw themselves at me. Preparing for the coming impact, I concentrate and get ready to impale the hydra. The huge head followed by the tinier pair reach in for the kill…and flop down flat, just in front of my feet, dead. There was a slight burning smell in the air. I poke at the head with my foot, checking to see if it really was dead. It lay there, unmoving, with its eyes glazed over and empty. The other two heads slide into the water, creating two plumes of water that sounded calm compared to the craziness that just happened seconds before. The main head followed some moments later, sliding down the bridge and slipping into the gap, fitting and fixing the bridge perfectly. Still feeling a bit stunned, I get up and make my way over to the corpse/makeshift bridge filler. I take a light step on the head, testing whether or not it was stable. My boot squishes onto the slightly charred flesh and I found that it was in fact very secure. It didn't even give me a jolt of electricity, so I guess that means the dagger's effect wore off.

"Would you mind giving me a hand please?" Oh, I almost completely forgot about the poor unfortunately named Sir Pent. All of the Pactagonal knights seem to have that problem; it almost seems like some elaborate joke. I make my way over to Sir Pent and begin to pull him up.

"Sorry about that, I was ju…" I trail off as I kneel down to grab his arms. I bite down on my cheek to keep myself from gasping. Looking past Sir Pent and down towards the river, I could make out the bodies of fish, frogs, otters and other miscellaneous corpses. All lifeless and cooked medium rare, flowing down the river.

"Huh? Is there something you're looking at?" Sir Pent asks, craning his neck to see what I was staring at.

"NOTHING!" I yell, yanking him up. I almost threw him over the other side of the bridge with the force that I used. His armor makes a clang as he slammed onto the bridge. "Sorry…I'm afraid of…heights. That's all."

"…okay." He answers hesitantly, still lying on his back. He must think I'm freaking insane but at least he bought it. Sighing in relief, I sit back and relax for a bit. The sun was still high in the sky and I could feel my clothes drying. Falconreach was just a few meters away and I've probably reached the climax of the day. The rest of it will be cake compared to all that's happened up till now. Well, it better be.

"Wha-WHAT HAPPENED!" a voice shouts, snapping me into attention. Jumping up, I run over to the source of the voice. The person in question was standing frozen in spot, gawking at the new section of the bridge. He looked like a teenage boy preparing to be a knight.

"Um…hi." I squeak, getting his attention. He looks up, eyes wide. Very wide. In fact they were one of the biggest pairs of eyes I've ever seen. Huge, light brown and when paired with his boyish face, made him also one of the cutest guys I've ever seen.

"Did you do this?" he questions me, becoming clearly thrilled. I couldn't help it. I broke into a smug smile and lean back, crossing my arms.

"That just depends; will I to get to know you better if I say yes?"


	5. Despise on Sight

"Ehem…yes she did," Well excuse me Sir Pent. So now you aren't just a captain obvious but a captain killjoy as well. I hardly noticed him sneaking up behind me as I was greeting this nice boy here. Though I was annoyed, I kept a straight face and observed how the knight in training's face lit up.

"Really! You took that Hydra down all by yourself! That's amazing! How did you do it?" I felt myself grinning, despite how bad the fight actually went. But, they don't need to know, do they?

"Well, how about I tell you later. My name is Ty," I say, reaching out my hand. "May I ask for your name sir…?" I ask him, putting an emphasis on the "sir." He stammers for a while, staring down at my hand before gulping and giving it a firm shake.

"I'm Ash Dragonblade," he answers, puffing up his chest. "I'm sorry but you are mistaken miss. I am not a Knight but I will become one soon!" This guy is freaking adorable.

"Well then Ash, I heard that there was a war going on. I came to help out so would you mind showing me where the action is going on?" I ask, holding in a laugh.

"Sure, but aren't you tired?" Ash asks me, calming down. "I mean you took down that Hydra… and you look sort of roughed up." He was right; there was a big bump on my head, I had a bunch of scratches and I was soaked in a mixture of water, Hydra blood and maybe my blood. I'm really not sure what I'm covered in. But there's really no time to waste and besides, it'll be much worse if I decide to rest.

"Psshhhh, it's practically nothing." I say, waving it off. "Now come on; show me the way." I grab a hold of his arm and start walking towards Falconreach.

"…I guess that means I'll go back to guarding the bridge…yeah, goodbye to you too." Man, I could have sworn that I heard something, but it's probably just the voices in my head talking again.

"I heard that the war has been going on for a while now, how are things going?" I ask still half dragging him along. As far as I could tell, he didn't mind.

"Well actually, things are going just fine! They're on the ropes now; we might even beat them back today!" Ash replies, cheerfully. I on the other hand started to rush faster, making Ash stumble after me. "But I'm sure we could make it there before it's over. See? It's not even that far," he continues, pointing over the horizon. True to his word, a dark red glow could be seen in the sky which probably meant that was where I needed to get to, urgently.

"If you guys were doing so well, then why did you let them get so close to the town?" I ask. It was awfully dangerous letting the enemy reach your doorstep and he was treating this war a bit too casually for my liking.

"You see, there's a good reason for that. It's because…hey, is there something wrong," I had stopped walking in the middle of his sentence, feeling a thrill course through my body. Standing still as stone, a light ringing starts up in my head again and I feel someone's, or more of something's, eyes on me.

_On the left. Look there._

Crap, I was joking about hearing the voices in my head. I don't need them coming out now!

_Look._

Struggling to remain calm, I obey the command. Slowly turning my head, I catch sight of a dark figure in a gray tattered cloak. Its face was obscured but I could tell in was staring me down. The air felt heavy and the ringing in my head starts to become more intense.

_Go on. Take the chance for us. Accept us. Let us perform what we were meant to._

I bite my cheek to keep from speaking. Not today; you won't get your way today. Without meaning to, I shake my head. The dark figure keeps its stare on me, though it seems like it was assessing me. As if suddenly reaching a conclusion, the figure turns its head up towards the direction of the war. Some other time I guess, but I'm not looking forward to it. I hear a distinct gulp coming from Ash and realize that he had started to shake.

"We should probably be going now; you don't want to miss anymore of the fight right," he laughs uneasily, gently pushing me forward. I linger on the figure for a few more moments before I look away and practically dash into Falconreach, Ash close by my side.

_Next time._

…

We waste no time making our way to the battle field. As we rush through the, at the moment, deserted town, the ringing starts to worsen and I could feel myself getting more and more disoriented with each step. With my vision becoming so blurry and the ringing reaching a pitch that could shatter glass, I hardly make out the tree that I was about to crash into. Luckily, Ash did and grabbed my arm before I made a dent in the tree. I steady myself and try to thank him but all that comes out is a dry cough. Ash is saying something to me now; at least I think he is. I barely see him with my fuzzy vision and what he's saying sounds muted to me.

_Who is this?_

"Excuse me, what did you say?" I ask shakily, rubbing my eyes.

"Oh um, sorry I must have been mumbling," he replies, scratching the back of his head. "I'm just saying that you don't seem to be…okay right now so maybe you should rest for a bit." He tentatively suggests. I shake my head at his comment, even though I could barely make it out.

"I'll be fine once we get there," I assure him as we resume making our way to the battlefield. "I just get…migraines every now and then, it'll pass." I lie. I honestly don't think what's happening to me even half resembles a migraine but the look Ash gave me told me that he fell for it.

_His name is Ash. How dreadful._

"If you say so Ty," he says, though still looking a bit uneasy. "We're almost there anyway. It's just straight down this way." The rest of our trek went a lot better. The sky had darkened considerably and the strange red glow was getting more intense, which meant that I was getting really close to destroying any chance of me getting another mental breakdown. Even the headache and ringing began to fade away, though that just meant…

_Dear, won't you listen._

"Are we almost there?"

"Yeah, it's just past these trees. It'll just ta-" I don't wait for Ash to finish. I sprint through the trees, hearing the muffled sound of clashing metal in the distance. As I twist around the obstacles and approach the clearing in the distance, I slip my gloves off, preparing to rid myself of that awful voice for at least a week or so.

_I will still be there. Scratching from the back of your head. Giggling coming from beneath your pillow. Shadow in the corner of your eye._

On the last meter of my run, I yell and hurl myself out of the trees and into a nearby skeleton. It gives one last screech before I collide with it, wrapping my fingers around its neck. Crashing to the ground, the skeleton struggles underneath me in vain as I absorb its energy.

_Love, I…time…me…forget…_

Gone. It's gone for now. This time it only took one. The skeleton had gone limp; the spirit that had been tied to it was released. I let out a breath of relief as the ringing and aching ebb away and let my eyes refocus. Relaxing my hands, I notice that the ribs of the skeleton had been crushed under my weight and I had actually split off its head in my excitement.

"Well, that's one way of taking one down," surprised, I look up to find a knight, I think, staring down at me. She was wearing gold trimmed armor and holding a strangely shaped sword. "I've never seen someone try to strangle a skeleton but it worked." She continues, pulling me up on my feet.

"Yeah well, I just got excited that's all." I say, still a bit disoriented. Switching from feeling close to falling over and having a seizure to feeling like I got up from a twelve hour nap was a bit jarring, even for me. Still holding the skull, I scan the field in front of me. There was a sparse amount of trees on the field which was near a cliff where the ominous red glow was coming from. Adventurers in a variety of different armors and garments were in combat with skeletons, evil squirrel throwing trees and piles of very depressed looking slime. Many of the adventurers were laughing and overall having a good time. There was no angst to be found he here. Suddenly remembering, I look back at the trees to try to find Ash and see him tripping out of the bush and falling flat onto the ground. He gets up on his knees and starts to wheeze.

"You can sure…run fast," he manages, gasping for air. "That was like…a 50 yard run."

"Sorry about leaving you behind there," he shakes his head at the comment and smiles before rolling onto his back, still panting.

"C'mon Ash, it wasn't that far," the knight laughs, poking at Ash with her foot. "You came just in time noobie," she says, turning to me. "This is the last of them." She was right; the numbers of enemies were dwindling fast and the adventurers were finding more creative ways of finishing them off. One guy, a rogue maybe, was spinning around like a cyclone with a spine in hand, skull still attached, smashing the undead around him into bits and pieces. He stops and falls on his back, dizzy but chuckling. A slime approaches and tries to attack him but I chuck the skull at it and the slime explodes for no physically possible reason. The rogue sits up, splattered a bit by the explosion, and gives me a thumbs up.

"I can already tell that you're going to fit right in," the knight says, smiling. "Now, if you excuse me," She says before running of into a group of other similarly clad warriors.

"Ash, are you going to get up soon?" I ask, in a much better mood.

"In a minute…just go on ahead." Nodding, I take off into a group of monsters, faintly brushing against them with my now bare hands and absorbing their energy. Back at the keep, I couldn't slip my gloves off without one of the Oaklore Knights seeing. There was always one around and I'd rather not explain why I had to do this. Lying that I was a reverse germaphobe was out of the question and the last time I was caught, I almost got kidnapped. If my older brother John didn't step in and blew my would be kidnappers into chunks of meat, something terrible would've happened and I still have no idea what it would've been. Thanks to that incident and that other tragic one, that creep will never let me live it down. Now, however, in the chaos of battle no one is going to notice or really care if I touch a skeleton and sap its energy. I even learned to cover my actions by quickly attacking them before they collapse, but with these monsters I don't even need to linger on one more than a second. As I keep cutting more and more down, all it takes is one slight brush to drain them down to nothing. Usually it would take much longer and I would actually have to grab a hold of one if I wanted to completely sap all of their energy, but these were so weak. You could accidently bump into one and still kill them. I'm not exaggerating; some of the other adventurers were dashing around in groups and basically running them over. Some of the trees were stronger and some monsters attacked in groups but they were still no match for the heroes of Falconreach.

"That just means that you have to wipe out more of these monsters if you want to sane for more than a day," I mutter to myself as I stab a tree. Jumping into overdrive, I dash around and trounce whatever I can get my hands on. Each monster I defeat gives me a burst of strength, though it disappears quickly if I don't chain my wins. I soon start up a rhythm with my strikes and take some time to practice what I learned back in Oaklore. It begins a bit staggered but then begins to flow smoothly as I deftly dodged other adventurers and strike down monster after monster. The battle carries on for maybe another two hours; I wasn't keeping track. You'd think I was actually a good warrior but these monsters made it easy enough for a noob like me to look good. Too Easy. The though breaks my concentration and I accidently collide with someone. That someone, coincidentally, was Ash. The collision causes him to lose his balance and fall into a slime, splashing everyone around him.

"Dang it Ash!" One person says, wiping the slime off of his face.

"That was my bad." I say, after spitting out a mouthful of the gunk. It was gross but I've had worse…and I mean that in the cleanest way possible, if you get what I mean. Hardly anyone else takes notice, being too engrossed in their own enjoyment and already covered in green goop. "Sorry about that Ash, I wasn't looking where I was going." I apologize, pulling the kid up.

"It's okay," he says, trying to brush the slime off of him. He tries to do the same with his sword but it slips out of his hands and he fumbles trying to pick it up. I really wanted to say "don't hurt yourself" or something like that but it would probably sound a bit mean. Then, a familiar sensation washes over me and compels me to look up. I didn't notice before but there was a cliff overlooking the battlefield and I could see  _him_  gazing back at me. A man, menacing in stature and appearance, wearing dark red armor stands looming over the madness. He must have been there the entire time.

"Hey Ash, who's that?" I ask, keeping my eyes on the cliff. Ash, who finally got a hold of his sword, follows my gaze and pales when he sees what's on the cliff.

"I-I think that's Sepulchure! He must have been the one who ordered the attack," Sure enough, another character slinks out of the shadows and starts to speak to him. Though the person, most likely a necromancer, seems concerned about their losing battle, Sepulchure remained unmoved never moving his gaze once. For no particular reason at all, I feel something twist in the pits of my stomach and my mind; I start to feel a searing hate for a person I've never once met before. Just watching him from below makes my blood boil. "We've been hearing about him for a while now. I don't know the exact details but he definitely means trouble," Ash continues. I really want a piece of this arrogant bastard and knock something into his expressionless face but…it's not my place or my problem. With a sigh, I calm down and turn to face Ash, who was still looking up at the sight nervously. Putting a hand on his shoulder, I lean in close to his ear and whisper.

"Careful Ash, I think he was staring at you the whole time," Startled, Ash pulls back.

"Who, what! Me? Really?" he stammers.

"Yes, really. He must really be impressed with your skills, I mean look at him. He's definitely interested in you." Sepulchure  _was_  staring down in our general direction, but he could have been looking at anyone whether it was Ash, me or even that guy who was still spinning around with the spine.. Hell, he might even just be staring into space.

"Taking Sepulchure down would definitely get me into knighthood but…I'm not looking for that kind of fight now!" Ash gulps, shaking.

"FINAL HUNDRED GUYS!" someone yells from behind us. In seconds a stampede of defenders rounds up the last of the monsters and start devastating them. The war will be over in just a few minutes.

"C'mon Ash; we'll worry about him later" I say. "He's lost already so he won't cause any more problems," I lie. This war was way too easy; even from just hanging around for a few hours I can tell he didn't put much effort into this farce of an invasion. It's probably part of some dumb overly complicated plan of his, but it isn't my place to meddle with the affairs of this dimension. The "chosen one" is probably around here somewhere.

"ONE LEFT!" Looking to the source of the yell, I find one lone skeleton fleeing from a group of frenzied adventurers. The others were already whooping and celebrating. On a whim, I fish around in my bag, pull out a throwing knife and aim for the skeletons head. With a whip of my arm, the knife flies towards its target, whizzing by the heads of unwitting adventurers. It hits dead on, knocking the skull clean off…only after the imprisoned spirit was released prematurely.

"Wow, nice one," Ash compliments, accompanied by other congrats and a plethora of groans and "drats." I scowled inwardly and look back towards the cliff. He was still there and was still staring back. I could feel his smugness all the way from down here. Then in an instant, he fades into the darkness and the sky brightens into a golden orange. It was already sunset.

"Did you see that," I hear from the others around us. "Was that him?" "I knew it!" "Alert the Guardians!" I guess that means everyone else finally noticed him. The comments keep flying back and forth between the adventurers as they start heading back to Falconreach.

"Let's head back. You have to be tired by now," Ash says brightly. I stand there and stare at the cliff for another moment before I answer Ash.

"Not really but I guess I'll stick around and clean up," Ash gives me a disbelieving look and we both start on our way back to Falconreach. It's been around five days since I got here so I should start looking for a way to contact my family soon. Even though it's tempting to stay and have a bit of fun, right now I don't want to get swept into any more trouble. We're already in enough as it is.


	6. A Bit Impulsive Sometimes

"I think I'm forgetting something important…"I murmur out loud to myself as I lean out of the window. Ash had directed me to the Inn after we came back to Falconreach and though I wasn't tired, I decided to turn in early. The Inn was a little sparse and I think the inn owner grew up in uncanny valley but it wasn't all that bad. I even managed to grab a room on the second floor and the ghosts only woke me up twice. Though I should hurry and find a way to contact my family; I need to check whether or not Emesto decided it was a good idea to throw a "I felt lonely again today so surprise I found a corpse and called the authorities so we can play real cops and fugitives" party. The last time he did that, our home almost sunk into the sea and I don't want to clean that mess up again. The thing is…I'm not in a hurry to get back. This place was completely new to me and I wanted to keep watching the people here. They were so different from what I'm used to. All of them are so open, colorful and not one asked what's wrong with my eyes. They're even fine with mages! I even saw a bunch of mages mingling with normal people. I hardly see that anywhere. These humans were amazing.

"Hey Ty? Are you up yet?" I hear from behind the door. It was Ash; when I mentioned that I was…foreign (I was, in a sense) and really new to the area, he offered to show me around and answer any questions I had. He looked really happy when I said yes.

"Yup, let me open the door for you," I reply running over to the door.

"Sorry about being early," Ash starts as I open the door. "but you see, Twilly was looking foooooooor-or-or…..uhhhhhhhhhh " he trails off.

"Is something wrong Ash?" I ask, confused. He was staring back at me absolutely stunned at something. His mouth was opening and closing but nothing was coming out and his face started to redden.

"ah-ah..AHHHHHHHH, I"M SORRY!" he suddenly shouts, grabbing the door and slamming it. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry," he goes on. Tentatively, I open the door again to check if he was alright and he screams again. I slam the door to keep him from bursting a blood vessel. "Ash, I know I look bad in the morning and-"

"No no nonononononono, you look great in the morning. Wonderful…It's just I-I-I'm sorry," he says, sounding embarrassed. Geez he's just so adorable when he's embarrassed but I'm not sure why he's freaking out so much.

"What are you sorry about? If there's nothing wrong then come in already." I say, reopening the door. Ash shrieks a bit again but it's a lot quieter. This time he gulps, puts a hand over his eyes trying to block out something and steps in slowly. "You can take a seat if you want; I just need five minutes to pack up." I say, going over to my shirt and vest that I hung to dry facing the window.

"Is it really okay?" he asks uncertainly, seating himself on the bed.

"Of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?" I reply as I check to see if my clothes were dry. When father packed the bag, he forgot to put in a change of clothes so I had to wash everything last night and wake up early to dry them. It was a good thing my underwear and pants got dry earlier; I didn't want Ash to be kept waiting outside. "Are you okay? You seem distracted."

"I-I guess…it's just…is it normal…where you come from…to…" he begins nervously, now staring at the wall.

"To what?" I ask as I put on my shirt.

"Oh hey Ash," someone calls from the hall. "I didn't know you wer-woah woah…umm do I need to arrest you Ash?" she says poking her head into the room. Ash looked mortified and was really almost about to faint.

"Huh? Did something happen Ash?" I say looking back and forth from the warrior and Ash.

"…Nothing…" she says still suspicious. "But if he does something, come, tell me and certain man parts that I didn't think he had will be ripped off of him slowly. You hear Ash?" Ash, who was about to cry, nodded quickly and the warrior left, motioning that she was watching him.

"Well that was weird," I say, fumbling with my buttons. "Hey Ash, would you mind tossing my gloves over to me. They're on the bed just behind you."

"Su-sure," he says, still a bit jumpy. I hope he's alright; something must be bothering him. He picks up my gloves and throws them over. Snatching them out of the air, I finish buttoning up, slip on my gloves and begin to put my armor on. "Why do you wear gloves?" he asks suddenly. I stop what I was doing and turn to look at him, alarmed. "I-I was just wondering. You took them off when you started to fight yesterday so why do you need them on." He sounded genuinely curious and nothing about his tone was accusing so I took a moment to think about what to say.

"These…are very important gloves," I start, looking him in the eyes. "They were a gift from my father. He made them himself with help from good friends of ours. They used their own powers to make these so that I…can tell you another day. Alright?" Ash stays silent for a while, puzzled at what I just said but then brightens and nods. Relaxing, I quickly put the rest of my armor on and strap my sword and bag to my belt. "We should get a move on right?" I say, grinning. He had almost coaxed a straight answer from me. Maybe it's the eyes.

"Oh right; I almost forgot. Twilly was looking for you. He said something about you helping him finding a box," Ash mentions offhandedly as we leave the room.

"…Oh whoops. I forgot about that. Where was he?"

"Living on a stump for the past week."

…...

"That'll be fifty gold please," the creepy inn keeper says. I hesitate a bit before I start rummaging around my bag for gold. I hate the gold system; you have to carry a whole freaking bank around with you if you wanted to do anything in town. "Why hello there Ash," she says, startling the both of us. "I didn't notice you were here. Are you two friends?" Dear God that woman's voice could scare the dead.

"Err…yeah Sabrina. She's new in town; I was just going to show her around," Ash says. So even he knows there's something off about her. I stop searching for my gold and start to examine her pasted over expression and empty eyes. "Is there something wrong miss?" she articulates almost threateningly.

"Nope, nothing at all. It's just so annoying trying to pick up coins with gloves on. Can never get a good grip with these things on." I laugh, sliding off one of my gloves. Leisurely, I pluck gold coins out of my bag one by one and plop them down on the counter making a chinking sound with each drop, piercing the otherwise dead silence of the inn. Each time I drop one down, she drags it behind the counter and stares straight at me; a stare which I return. The both of us were giving the other the most disgustingly sweetest smiles we could muster; never faltering or twitching even once. There was tense feeling in the air that was so dense and heavy, you could practically slice it into pieces and serve it to your adrenaline junky friends. Ash coughs nervously, waiting for one of us to snap. From the corner of my eye, I see a mage coming down the stairs. Once he gets a good look at what's happening, he backs back up the stairs.

"And here…" I pronounce, taking out the fiftieth coin. "...is the last one." I offer the gold coin to her on the palm of my hand. Sabrina pauses and stares at it, expression still the same. Then she reaches out for the coin. Just as her fingertips touch my palm, she jerks back with a screech of pain; her face twisting in agony. Ash flinches, startled by the sudden shriek but I remain motionless. "Oh dear…did I shock you? I'm sorry, I must have been shuffling around on the carpet too much." I say somewhat mockingly, swiftly putting the glove back on. She looks like she's about to snarl at me and go for my neck but she catches sight of Ash's questioning and slightly horrified reaction and thinks better of it.

"…Don't worry your little head dear girl, but be more attentive next time," she replies in a slightly darker tone, expression switching back to the usual unsettlingly pleasant one.

"Why, now that you've told me, of course I will  _Sabrina_. That's your name right?" She nods slowly and starts to reach out to the coin again. Just before she could touch it, I drop it on to the counter. It bounces and starts to spin. "Wouldn't want you to get  _shocked_ again, do we?" She stares down at the coin, face twitching slightly.

"Thank you for your consideration," she says, slamming a hand down on the coin. "Say…would you like a weapon. I'm selling  _special_  ones for a good price. I think they'll suit your nature." I cross my arms and pretend to be in deep thought.

"Hmmmm… don't think so. I have a pretty good weapon right now but I'll come back if I change my mind." I reply, just a teensy bit condescending.

"…Then I hope you reconsider. Now have a good day and please, do come back again." Yeah, fat chance. I'd rather sleep in a tree.

"And hopefully, you'll still be here. C'mon Ash, let's go." I say, leaving for the door. He swallows and turns to leave with me. I snake an arm around his shoulder as we head for the door and whisper into his ear. "That's a clue for you. About me and  _Sabrina_  if that _is_  its name. Ash takes a moment to look back and observe the inn keeper, who waves robotically to him. He makes a small wave back but becomes serious when he turns back to me. He nods signaling that he understands. Just then, two people come down from the stairs, in deep conversation.

"…so there was this weird fishy burning smell right? Then when I looked down, I was walking on a Hydra head!"

"What really? When did that happen?"

"I'm not sure man. It must have happened while everyone was off fighting in the war. Someone killed the Hydra and used its head to fix the bridge. It's unbelievable."

"Who do you think it was?"

"Artix maybe?"

"Naw, I heard he's in Doomwood right now and besides, the undead are his thing. Even if he were here, he would have gone straight for the war."

"Robina? She's in the area."

"Saw the corpse myself. Didn't see any arrows lying around and the body was a bit burnt so it probably wasn't her.

"Warlic?"

"That's possible."

"Actually, if you really want to know who defeated it," Ash began. "It was Ty." He boasts, motioning to me. But it was already too late. I didn't even bother going to the door; I just leapt out of the closest open window. I roll when I hit the ground and surprise the passersby. They gawk at first but then carry on their way, hardly giving my stunt another thought.

"Another show off," one sighs. What in the world is strange for these people?

I stand and brush the dirt off of myself and walk around the side of the inn to see if Ash had come out. I hope he doesn't feel offended or anything. It's just that I can't bring that kind of attention to myself. Knowing a few people is fine but, only if they see you as any other normal person. The kind of attention you get when you occasionally win a race or contest or something is fine too but not the kind of attention where people carry you through the streets and cheer. That attention will get your name out, get demands for you and alert the  _others_. John would murder me and keep my pieces in the jar in his room if he finds out. I mean, I don't mind an adventure but settling for a smaller maybe less exciting one is a lot better than having my ass mounted on a wall because I tried going for a big epic. I don't even come from this world so going on a grand world changing adventure would be wrong.

"Talk about insecurity," I mutter to myself.

"TY! TY! There you are!" a familiar squeaky voice calls out to me. Finding the source of the voice, I find a familiar little red teddy…koala standing on a stump and waving adorably to me. I rush over to him and kneel down to his height to face him.

"I'm sorry I kept you waiting Twilly," I apologize. I had forgotten that the Lady Celestia had asked me for a favor. I guess I'll find a way to contact my family later.

"That's okay," he says cheerfully. "You're here now so everything's fine!" He's being so cute right now, it makes me want to hug and squeeze him till his eyes or brains pop out; whichever comes first. Though this time, I decide to show restraint and instead poke him in the stomach which makes him giggle. It sounds sweeter than the taste of cherry snowballs covered in broken hearts; my personal favourite.

"So, what do you need me to do?" I ask. He's about to say something but stops himself in a hurry and instead jumps back behind his stump to retrieve a small folded piece of paper. When he starts to unfold the paper, I lean over the stump to sneak a peek but Twilly turns back to me before I can read a word of the elaborate cursive writing. He takes a moment to look over the message and cleared his throat with a small cough.

"Ty, thank you for your help the other day and I hope this message reaches you quickly." Oops. "The box that was stolen by the sneevil is of gweat importance. Though it might be inconvenient, I am hoping that you might do me a favor and retrieve the box. I would greatly appreciate your help. Sincerely, Celestia." Twilly finishes, looking up at me expectantly. Well, I'm not one to turn down a plea of help from a lady but…

"I'll go get the box for you for sure but… why does it have to be me specifically." I ask. Twilly, probably expecting my question, answers without hesitation.

"She likes the way you handle problems."

"…So she likes the way I solve problems…by punching them in the face?" I say, more like a statement then a question. Seriously, I've only met her twice and both times she just saw me solve problems by beating them and humiliating them. Then again, I'm also prepared to do a favor for someone I've met twice so I can't say much. We probably just made good first impressions on each other.

Twilly tries to answer me but this time is unsure of what to say. He looks back down at the letter, trying to find some sort of clue. Failing to do so, he looks back up to me and gulps. A beat of uncomfortable silence passes and I start to get suspicious. Both the letter and Twilly seem like they were keeping something from me.

"…Oh look, it's Ash!" Twilly suddenly pipes up, saving himself. True to his word, I turn around to see Ash just leaving the inn. He sees us and runs over, looking slightly distressed.

"Did something happen?" he asks as he sits down next to Twilly and I. "You sort of left…in a hurry. Did I say something?" he finishes nervously, scratching the back of his head.

"…No, it's not your fault. It's just that I don't…" I trail off. What am I supposed to tell them! I can't say I'm shy; by now both of them know I'm not. Well…maybe just once, the truth might work better…or at least half of the truth. "I don't want to attract too much attention. You see, my father sent me out here as some kind of attempt to motivate me to start improving my swordplay," which is fine as it is. It's not as fancy as everyone else's and sure it only takes a big hit or two to take me down but I'm fast and that's more than enough. "but in all likeliness he didn't tell my older brother John about this. John is sort of uptight about letting me or my other siblings bringing too much attention to ourselves and I don't want him to drag me back and lock me up for another year. I'm not exaggerating either. He put us all under house arrest for close to a year because of the "attention." It took a lot of convincing and negotiating for him to let us out."

"Really? What made him do that?" Ash asked.

"Something…that wasn't very big. I think he overreacted. I wish he could just let it go already." I sigh, remembering back to that incident.

"Wait a moment, why doesn't your dad do anything about it?" Ash says, incredulous. "He's John's dad too isn't he?"

"Yeah I guess…but father isn't in the condition to fight back right now and John believes he knows what's best. He basically has everyone under his thumb. Any other time I wouldn't mind the attention but for now, it's best if my tale is a side story to a much more interesting one. That is…until John gets over himself," I finish, thinking back to the time I found John in one of the unoccupied bedrooms in our home. He was sitting on a really messy bed while looking at a group picture of my family and some other people I didn't recognize, sobbing at it. I swear, he went right off the deep end that day and only came back to drag the rest of us down with him. It'll be forever when he realizes that he's just been obsessing over nothing.

A snigger jolts me out of my thoughts and Ash takes note of it as well. Two of the locals who just came out of the smithy had taken notice of us. One smiled and winked at Ash while the other blond one shook his head and gave a disapproving frown to him. Ash started to shake his head and mouth the words "it wasn't what it looked like," at the two strangers. The two either didn't hear what he was saying or didn't believe him and just left, going their separate ways.

"Wow Ash. You sure know a lot of people," I say, a bit confused at what just went on.

"Everyone knows each other in Falconreach; we're still kind of a small town…and words travel fast I guess," Ash says quietly, nervously watching the two men leave.

"…You know what Ash? How about you clear up whatever's bothering you and I'll help Twilly here get his box back. You can show me around tomorrow." I suggest. "Tracking down that Sneevil won't be too hard, right Twilly?"

"Uhh…Yuppers. Won't take long at all. No big amazing adventure. Twilly pwomises." Twilly says, holding his hands behind his back.

"I'm sorry Ty. I'll going to fix the…misunderstanding right away! I'll see you later," He says, getting up and running off.

"Hey wait a sec! What did you tell those two guys after I jumped out the window?" I call after him.

"I told them you were shy. Sorry!" he answers as he runs off on the path the blondie took going west. Oh well, the Hydra thing isn't that big. I'll just lay low for a bit and help find that box. I'm sure something bigger will pop up and everyone will hardly care about the Hydra bridge.

"So then, where to Twilly?" I ask, letting Twilly hop onto my shoulder.

"To Surewood Forest. I know a person who knows everything about hunting sneevils," he says, pointing down the pathway.

"Who would that be?"

"Her name is Robina. Robina the Hood."

…...

I followed Twilly's directions out of Falconreach and into a place Twilly called Surewould Forest. That was where this "Robina the Hood" might be…Okay, this has to be a joke or something. Does this Robina person also have a problem with a certain royalty figure of some sort? Perhaps has a love interest by the name of Man Manson or Mario or Manion. I don't actually know the male counterpart for Marian but whatever. I'm going to try to take this as seriously as I can but anyone who would actually name a forest "Surewould" is either just naming it for giggles or might need a punch in the face to bring them back to reason. Actually if they did do it for a laugh, then they still need a punch in the face.

"Be careful Ty," Twilly whispers to me as I keep following the path. "Lately, the bandits have been attacking a lot more than usual. Everything's just been getting more and more bad." Twilly continues, shaking his head.

"It can't be that bad if it's just bandits." I say. Or maybe I'm just running into the wrong bandits.

"It isn't just that. Twillies has been hearing a lot of scawy scawy things," Twilly replies. "The Guardian towers are getting attacked all the time by the undead."

"So, is the tower back in Falconreach a guardian tower?" I ask. I guess that's why there were so many people with the same armor running around. They're all guardians I suppose. It must be an elite class or something. I'll look into that later.

"Yuppers; we have a Guardian Tower." Twilly answers. "Twillies thinks those scawy undead monsters that we beat yesterday were trying to get to the Guardian Tower. Twillies even heard that Sepulchure was there!"

"Is this Sepulchure supposed to be very strong? His army wasn't anything to be worried about." I say. I don't like it though. They were way too weak to be taken seriously but their leader looked like he was nothing to laugh at.

"Sepulchure is the first person to ever wage a war on Falconreach." Twilly states. That's the first time I've heard that fact. What was he doing? Was he gauging the heroes? Testing something out? "Twillies heard that he's been creating a big army. King Alteon is really worried." So they have a king here…

"Has he been done anything about it yet?" I ask. The whole time I've been here, I never once heard a mention of a King or any hint that there was royalty ruling over the area.

"Nothing that I've heard of right now, but I think he said that he has a lot of faith in the heroes of Lore and-"

"Ah, so he's that kind of ruler," I interject, turning with the path. "The type who sits around hoping that some kind hero will take down the threat for him," I despise non-action leaders. If you're going to rule over something, whether you're evil or good, take some freaking action.

"Umm Ty, King Alteon isn't that kind of-"

"Let me guess. He was born into the job wasn't he." I continue. "Wanting for nothing. Probably has a bunch of advisors telling him what to do. Has no idea what his subjects actually do to survive," I begin, starting to list all of the "okay ruler but oblivious" clichés. "Oh, and if he doesn't have one already, he must be more worried about having a son then about what to d-"I stop midsentence, feeling something whiz past my ear and through my hair, slicing a few strands off. I swivel around and find, to my amazement, an arrow imbedded deeply into a tree just a meter behind me.

"Greetings there  _Adventurer!_  Sorry about startling you but I was afraid that you were going to completely miss me by the way you were about to go off," A woman sitting confidently on a crate, clad in green and surrounded by various pilfered treasures, lowers her bow. Her clear blue eyes were staring daggers at me and her mouth was set in a straight line. This must be Robina. Suddenly from the corner of my eye, a sneevil…no,  _the_  sneevil totting the black box jumps out from the bushes and runs by me. I prepare to hurl myself at him but a hidden snare catches him and lifts him up into the air, making the imp drop the box. "Hmmpf, too easy." Robina says dismissively, not even looking back at the captured sneevil. I could hardly believe what had just transpired; she was actually expecting the sneevil and she just caught it so effortlessly.

"My box! My box! My box! Gimme back my box!" the sneevil snarls, dangling helplessly over the nearby creek.

"Sorry, this box is now rightful property of Robina the Hood and her band of Merry Women." Robina boasts.

"When I get down there I'll-"

"Bring me more boxes?"

"HEY! All of those are MY boxes!" The sneevil snorts angrily, struggling to get out of the snare.

"Robina! That was Amazing!" Twilly greets, waving to Robina. Robina's expression softens and waves back.

"Nice to see you Twilly," Robina says as I approach. "And who would this be," she motions to me, somewhat disdainfully. Oh…did I make a bad impression? It's how I look isn't it? The black hair and the creepy blue eyes are always a bad mix. Too jarring I guess.

"This is Ty. She's here to help get the Black Box," Twilly says, oblivious. Robina gets up from the crate and looks me up and down. She's a bit taller and the way she's looking down at me is intimidating. Getting nervous and self-conscious, I shrink back bite my cheek to keep myself from saying anything stupid.

"It looks like she won't have to," she says to Twilly, jokingly before turning her attention to me. "Well, are you going to say anything? You were pretty talky back there." Robina suddenly snaps at me. I flinch at her voice and quickly try to think of something to say. Twilly looks down at me from his seat on my shoulder, confused at my sudden bashfulness.

"Um…That was so cool!" I manage, feeling myself blush. What the hell was that! Now you've embarrassed yourself even more! Robina, taken aback by my words, looks at me like I suddenly transformed into a different person. "I-I mean the way you shot that arrow. That was really cool. It just went right passed my ear; didn't even leave a mark! That was an amazing introduction!" Oh dear lord, stop talking! Who are you? Ash? "Whenever one of my siblings tries to do that, they always hit me or take a chunk off. And then you just caught that guy so easily! I thought I was going to have to look all over for him but you were expecting him and then you caught him and and…" I trail off. Awkward…just so awkward.

"Alright then…" Robina begins. Great, I weirded her out. "Ehem…Robina the Hood at your service," She says, making a sweeping bow. "Steal from the Rich and give to-"

"The Poor?" I suggest nervously. Shit, I cut her off. "…Uh hi! My name is Ty!" Realizing what I had just said, I slap a hand over my mouth. For the love of…Twilly already introduced you. I'm such an idiot. Twilly giggles from my shoulder and I feel myself blush harder. Robina, still not sure what to make of me, instead decides to direct her attention to Twilly.

"So, you need this box Twilly?" she says, motioning to the box.

"Yes, Twillies needs to…return it to the Preistess as fast as he can!" Twilly answers, somewhat hesitantly.

"Alright, I'll give it to you," she says brightly, "but only if  _Ty_ here does a few quests for me." Darn, sorry Twilly. I guess if it wasn't for me, Twilly would have gotten the box without a problem.

"Say no! Say no! Noooooo!" the sneevil yells and snorts.

"Of course! I'll do anything you ask," I say, desperate to make it up to Twilly. The captured sneevil starts to yell, scream and snort as he starts to swing himself back and forth. None of us take notice.

"…Anything now," Robina says, a sly smile forming on her lips. Oh crap, but I can't back down now! I swallow and prepare for the coming impossible task. "Well, you're in luck. First, I just need you to steal from a certain rich bandit who stole from one of the  _good King's_ caravans. A very reliable source tells me that the gold he and his cronies stole was meant to be a gift for one of the King's three daughters." Wow, if Robina likes the ruler here, maybe he's not as bad as I thought. But then, I wonder who the evil ruler is. There's usually one around when a  _Robin_ is running about.

"Sure, I'll get right to it!" I say before rushing down the path. Then, suddenly realizing what I forgot, I back up slowly to Robina. "Hi…can you tell me where this person is?" I ask timidly, embarrassed once again. Robina rolls her eyes and hands me a piece of parchment. I squeak out a thank you that she probably doesn't hear and kneel to set Twilly down on one of the boxes. "Here Twilly; it'll probably be dangerous so just stay here and wait a bit. I probably won't take too long so just sit around for a bit alright?"

"Okie dokie Ty!" Twilly says, poking at my face. He looked rather worried for some reason. I smile at Twilly

"I don't know Twilly," Robina quips. "We shouldn't  _assume_ anything."

Swallowing hard, I quickly take a second to look over the instructions on the parchment and mouth a silent "sorry" to Twilly before I run off in the direction of the bandit camp. Why is it that I'm always such a loser when I meet girls like her. And she was pretty too.


	7. Second Impression

It didn't take long at all to find those bandits. They weren't even that far from where Robina was. I'm sort of wondering why anyone would actually fear these guys or even give them the time of day.

"Do all bandits wear the same thing?" I think out loud to myself, observing the bandits quietly from the bushes. Though it would be beneficial for me to practice my swordsmanship on them, I think I'll just sneak in and steal their loot from right under their noses. Then I'll leave them a little  _present_ that I found on the way here and watch the hilarity as it unfolds. I think that'll cheer me up a bit. I'm going to have to be fast though. I had to cross a bridge on my way here and it was impossible to go through without being seen by the two who were patrolling on it. I knocked the two out and hid their bodies but eventually someone's going to notice they're gone.

I quietly slink across grass concealed by the trees and foliage, making hardly a sound. I had removed my armor a while ago to improve my stealth but it was going to be potentially self-harming if I get caught. Careful not to cause too much movement in the leaves and tall grass, I followed alongside a small trail which, according to Robina's directions, would lead me straight to their camp. Odd…having a bandit camp near a trail seems a bit risky…or they were just dumb enough to try. As I kept going, I noticed that they were all just standing around on the trail, not doing much of anything. Some were standing very close to the edge of my side of the path. If I wanted to, I could just scamper real quietly behind them and just pull them in. No one would even notice until their next headcount. That would sure wake these jokers up but I'll restrain myself from hurting someone unless I get caught. Though the chance of that happening is the same as…as…no jinxing Ty. You know how your luck works; it works like a freaking bitch. Don't tempt it.

"Have any of you seen Udolf and Darry?" Someone asks, stopping me in my tracks. Well of course they noticed already…"They were supposed to be back a while ago." I peek out of a shrub to see what they were doing. There were two standing opposite to each other and a third had gone up to them from back down the trail. I looked above them and realized we were below the log bridge that I had crossed earliar. The trail had looped back and gone through the gap between the two cliffs that the bridge connected. I cursed quietly when I saw that I was going to have to jump out of my cover and actually run through without being noticed.

"They probably just needed to go take a dump or something," one says dismissively.

"What, you mean together? That's gross." The third says.

"You mean you don't?"

"…Forget it. Go and fill in for them. Drakath's going to be back any moment now and I'm sure you don't want to deal with him whining again. He's been crankier lately and I don't need to hear another speech about how idiotic we are again." Hmmm-hmmm, so this is Drakath's entourage. I wasn't actually planning on seeing him again, despite my previous boasts and threats, but it's a nice surprise. It looks like even his underlings don't take him seriously. How does he get people to follow him? They're probably all just as moronic as he is. Perhaps they're even worse.

"Fine, but I'm going to kill those two if they don't get back fast enough. Being in the same room with that guy gives me headaches. One of these days…" The second one trails off, shaking his head. With that, they all depart and give me the perfect opportunity to sneak through. Why they didn't leave at least one person behind to guard the entrance escapes me but they  _are_  morons after all.

I leap out of my hiding place and race through the gap, under the bridge and towards the camp that was now in my sights. The camp was in a clearing and made up of small tents scattered in front of what I guess is the larger main tent where they held, all if not most, of their loot. That was also probably where Drakath stayed. I fully expect him to stack up the chests of his stolen goods and use them as a bed, the egomaniac that he is. The tent was also standing on the edge of the clearing which was really lucky for me; I can run in, take everything and jump into the forest again to watch the results. As I ran past the other tents, I realized something else. There was literally no one around…scratch that, someone's sitting on the ground snoozing near a tent. These guys were going to make me sloppy.

Grinning, I reach the tent and enter, closing the tent flap behind me. The flap blocks out the sunlight and only left a sliver of light in the otherwise pitch black darkness of the tent. The sliver conveniently falls onto the hoard of stolen goods which were, disappointingly, located adjacent to the messily made camp bed. Various weapons and other trinkets were lying around with the chests as well; all of which were very inviting and would look lovely displayed on a wall. Making my way over to the stolen riches, I notice something gleaming on top of one of the larger chests. On closer inspection, I find that it was a blue crest featuring a white wyvern embedded on the top of the chest. Someone had also angrily slashed at it several times. This must have been the gift meant for the royal family and it seems like someone isn't very fond of them.

I lift the lid off of the large chest and strain to tip it over to dump its contents. A multitude of gold coins scatter across the grassy ground of the tent. Leaving them on the ground, I take out my bag and carefully reach in with both hands. I feel around for a bit before my hand I brushes against something furry. Good, it's still fast asleep. Carefully, I hold my breath as I lift it out of my bag, set it down in the chest as steady as possible and quietly try to close the lid. The lid slips out of my hands, however, and I wince as it slams closed. Preparing for an onslaught of screeching and scratching, I throw myself onto the chest. Luckily, only a snort escapes from the chest and I let out a sigh of relief. Without wasting any more time, I begin to scoop all of the spilt gold coins into my bag leaving not one behind. Once that was over with, I turn my sights over to the other smaller chests of goods and weapons. My eyes were still adjusting to the darkness so I just took anything that looked vaguely valuable and could fit into my bag. So that just means I basically took everything except the chests and boxes.

There was only one chest left now. It was smaller and stuffed under the camp bed so it must have something important.

"And you thought that wasn't the least bit suspicious!" A voice scowls from outside, catching me off guard. "How in Lore could you have missed them!" Drat, they're already here! In a panic, I open the small chest and grab onto a handful of what felt like cloth and stuffed it into my bag before banging it shut. Just as the flap was being tugged open, I slip under the side of the tent. Blinded by the sudden surge of light, I fling myself unceremoniously back into the cover of the bushes and trees behind the tent. The branches scratch me and make crunching noises as I land but no one notices the ruckus going on in the bushes. Most likely they were all preoccupied with the crisis at hand.

"We thought they were just slacking off somewhere. We didn't think-"

"You fools hardly ever think. I have to do everything around here! You can hardly see either! They were hanging right in front of you for the love of-."

"If they didn't start screaming, we wouldn't have seen them I swear!"

"Don't interrupt me! You had better hope everything is still here or I'll have your head." They were being so loud I could hear them from outside. It was about to get much worse for them so I decided to get myself into a better position to watch the action. A bunch of other bandits were waiting outside. Half of them looked pretty angry while the other half were fearing for their lives.

"D-Don't, I'm sure everything is still here. Let me just open this one and…what is that!" Raccoons. How I love raccoons. They're so cute with their little paws, stripes and bandit mask faces, but if you try to stop them from eating your garbage they will rip your face off in jagged strips. I'm sure they get just as crazy when they wake up surrounded by idiots. I know I'd want to rip off their faces too.

A high pitch scream goes off from inside the tent followed by slightly lower pitch ones. A crowd of bandits runs out of the tent closely followed by one flailing around trying to keep the "little bandit" from tearing out his eyes. Last but most definitely the least, Drakath comes stomping out and starts to explode, hollering insults and incoherent curses at his men. The flailing and screaming bandit falls down at his feet, still trying to fight off the raccoon as it makes his way down to his chest. Another bandit runs over and tries to get the raccoon off of his friend by kicking it but accidently misses and instead kicks him in the balls just as the raccoon jumps off. The scream the poor guy made sounded like a dying seagull. Then Lady Luck decided to smile down on me and say "Ty, you've been having a pretty bad day so far so why don't I lighten it up for you." And with that, out of all the people it could choose to jump on, the raccoon decided to attack the King of Retarded Bandits himself. It went right for the face; exactly what I would have done. He starts to yell and scream as he tries to tear my new favourite animal off of his now slightly more ugly face before he also falls to the ground. No one tried to do anything. All of them were almost certainly too afraid of becoming the next victim so all they did was stand around their leader and gawk. It was such a hysterical scene; I almost couldn't stop myself from bursting into laughter, but no one would've heard me anyway. Then, the previously sacked bandit gets onto his knees, crawls around behind the tent and began to throw up. I practically died right there. Lady Luck was feeling pretty generous today so something wonderful happened. Drakath had managed to get a grip on the adorable creature and throw in off of his face and, unfortunately for him, into his tent which then spontaneously caught on fire. Apparently, some raccoons in Lore have the ability to breathe fire. The bandits unanimously decided that this was now the right time to leave and all of them start to flee. Drakath, too angry for words, stays on the ground and punches his fist into it out of frustration. The other bandit was now dry heaving behind the burning tent, oblivious. Right at that moment, I give up trying to stay quiet and start to laugh. This was just too funny. That was also the moment Lady Luck suddenly perked up and said "Oh that's right. Didn't you call me a bitch a while back. Well, here's my thanks." Emerging from the flaming tent, the raccoon, now engulfed in flames, lumbers its way out with a crazed look its beady little eyes. As if it knew exactly where I was, it charges in a straight line in my direction. Abandoning any attempt to remain calm, I get up and tear through the woods back to Robina and Twilly.

…

I rip through the woods as fast as I can with what was at least half a bush hanging on to me. Once I stumble back onto the main path, I stop and look back hoping that the raccoon had not decided to chase me or set the woods on fire. Gasping for breath, I relax a bit seeing that there was no rabid raccoon coming after me and that there was no burning smell in the air. All I have to do now is get back to Robina and Twilly.

"Hi Ty! Hee-hee, you look funny!" Or not. Not but a few meters from where I was standing, there they were, right where I left them. Even the sneevil was still hanging in the air beside them, struggling and snorting away. Though now, Twilly was lounging on Robina's lap. Twilly seems happy to see me and waves me over while Robina on the other hand, seemed indifferent.

"What happened to you?" Gulping, I throw off the bush and trot over to them. I was probably covered in scratches and leaves and twigs were stuck in my clothes and hair. Comparing what I look like now to what I looked like when I set off, anyone would have thought that I failed.

"Nothing much," I begin, "I just went in and took their loot. It just got a bit out of hand around the end but everything's fine."

"You only took just under an hour and a half," Robina says, wary. "What exactly did you do?"

"Oh I…um snuck in and took their stuff," I laugh nervously, holding my hands behind my back. I didn't mean to hesitate; it was just that she was making me tongue-tied.

"Really? The way you were geared up, I was thinking you were going to charge in and knock some sense into them."

"You see, I thought it would be funny to steal their loot without leaving a trace. After I took their things, they all freaked out and it was fun to watch them run around wondering what happened. It was…satisfying?" I explain, my last sentence seeking approval.

"I'm sure it was," Robina says after a pause. "And here I thought you were just like any other cute little kid warrior but you also have a crafty mind. Crafty enough to just sneak in and take everything without being detected. Looks are  _deceiving_  I guess, right Twilly?" She finishes, giving Twilly a knowing glance. Was she hinting at something?

"Ty's good with being stealthy! I'm sure she did a number on them." Twilly exclaims, seeming defensive.

"…Do you want me to take the gold out now?" I ask, interrupting their exchange. They were probably talking about me while I was gone.

"Alright then, just put them in this box," she says, kicking a box over to me. I bite my cheek from the uneasiness and dig clumsily around my bag looking for the gold. It's hard to find anything in this bag and Robina's judging glare isn't helping at all. I'm going to have to organize my bag later; always randomly sifting through it is going to keep giving me problems. "Having trouble?" Robina says, almost accusingly. Twilly becoming uncomfortable, gives me a look of sympathy.

"No-no, it's fine. I got this." I assure her. Luckily at that moment my hand grabs onto a handful of gold and I begin to pour the gold into the box. A waterfall of gold cascades into the box and I focus on keeping anything from spilling out.

"…Hmmm, that's…more gold than I remember being in there." Robina remarks, sounding confused and perhaps half impressed.

"Wow Ty, you got lots!" Twilly gushes. "How did you carry it all?"

"Huh…Oh, I took the chest with the royal crest and I almost got a hold of everything else they had…that was of value of course," I answer, caught somewhat unaware. "Thank goodness for hammer space bags right? I even got you some weapons and trinkets too. It took a bit longer since I didn't just take them in their containers but you probably wouldn't want them. Those boxes looked  _worthless_  anyway." The sneevil, who was just swinging around and snorting a bit, suddenly went into a frenzy at my words. His yelling and snorting became so violent that it looked like it was going to physically hurt him. Twilly puts his hands over his ears, disliking the sound. At the same time, Robina allowed an amused smirk to creep into her expression, which was threatening to become a full grin, but she quickly gets a hold of herself and returns to her previous showing of discontent. I almost got my hopes up for a second there. All three of us, minus the snorting pig hanging from the tree, fall into silence. I start to chew on my cheek again, letting the agonizingly quiet seconds go by as the box fill till it almost overflows. "Hey…I think we might need another box." Just as the words leave my mouth, a mace that I had also taken from the bandits drops into the box causing a shift in its weight making it tip over. The box's contents, as well as the gold still pouring out of my bag, spill all over the grass. A bunch of them even roll and fall into the nearby creek. In an attempt to keep more from spilling, I try to close my bag but accidently drop it instead. The bag lands with an audible *thump* and I stand there for a moment, blank faced staring down at the mess I just made. Robina and Twilly do the same thing but soon I hear the beginning of a giggle, then the both of them dissolve into laughter. Screw you Lady Luck; just one big "screw you." I drop down to my knees, apologizing profusely as I attempt to clean up the mess.

"Here Ty," Twilly chirps, jumping down from Robina's lap. "Twillies will help you out." I try to protest but Twilly shakes his head at me and props the box back up. "Ty is jumpy today. Is something the matter?" he asks as he picks up small handfuls of coins and throws them into the box. I look tentatively up to Robina, who is frowning, and quickly divert my eyes down.

"No, it's nothing. I guess I'm not myself today." Twilly's eyes widen and his jaw drops open.

"Already!" he shouts. "…um I mean…maybe it's the weather?" Robina and I give him quizzical glances but decide to let it drop again. I'll question him about his outburst when Robina isn't around.

"Sure, it's probably the weather," Twilly relaxes at my statement with the bright cheery sun shining over head on this cloudless pleasantly breezy day. Yes, this weather makes me want to literally roll over and die.

"I'm sorry Robina, this might take a bit longer…sorry," I apologize meekly, hastily shoveling the gold into the box with my hands. She doesn't respond for a while but a minute later, I hear an audible sigh come from Robina and she hops off of her seat to kneels beside me.

"It's fine." She says, scooping gold into the box and shoots me a look which stops me from telling her that she doesn't need to trouble herself with helping me. The cleanup didn't take long at all and I had managed to get all the gold out of my bag and into three boxes without any more mess ups.

"There, all done," Robina says, getting up and dusting herself off. "You did a pretty good job. I'm actually impressed." She compliments off handedly. I couldn't stop myself from smiling up to her.

"Really? I'm glad." I say, a lot happier than before. She looks down at me, baffled at my change in demeanor. Perplexed at her reaction, I tip my head to the side and was about to ask if I did anything strange when she suddenly snaps back to attention.

"Could you get up from the ground please, it's embarrassing," She stammers, looking away and blushing.

"umm…Okay." I comply. I pick Twilly up as well and set him on a box. "So then…what are you going to do with the gold?"

"Well since you did such a good job of getting the gold back, now I'm going to get you to give it all away. Just go and knock out a few forest creatures and put the gold on them."

"…what? Seriously!" But why? And I took all of the gold out of my bag already.

"Yup. Where did you think all of those monsters got gold from in the first place?" Wow, she must have a great deal of man-power to pull that off.

"All of them. That's…pretty extensive. So the gold from inside their stomachs  _didn't_  come from dead adventurers."

"…Well not all of them…but close enough! You took more than I thought you would so…" she begins, motioning to one of the boxes. "…you have much more work to do. I think one box should be enough."

"Okay. Where do you want me to start?" I ask, stuffing one of the boxes into my bag.

"I'll go with you this time. I want to see if you really are that good." She articulates, reaching into a bigger crate and picking out a full quiver of arrows.

"You'll go with me! But who's going to guard everything here?"

"Twillies can do that! I'll take care of everything," Twilly assures me from his spot on the box.

"It'll be fine. We're near Falconreach so I doubt any bandit will wander here unless they want to be strung up and paraded through the streets," From what Robina is telling me, I can only assume that the heroes of Falconreach can be extremely terrifying if they wanted. "Now let's go and don't go sneaking around." She snaps, going down the path that lead deeper into the woods. I mouth a goodbye to Twilly before running off to catch up to Robina. I follow closely behind her as we continue into the woods, going through hunting techniques in my head. This was my chance to prove that I'm not a loser; that I actually had some skills. There was just something about Robina that made me act like a ragdoll with a nerve dysfunction. Yes, she looks pretty and there's an air of regality around her (ironically) but there was something that was just…familiar. I can't put my finger on it. Even though she doesn't resemble any of my family members, I feel like I would honestly kill for her approval. It's the way she stands, her eyes and just some sort of feeling that she gives off. I don't understand it. "You know…you can walk beside me right?" She offers tentatively. I speed up to match her stride and continue walking with her. I want to talk to her but, of all things, I'm too shy to. Instead, I direct my eyes away from her and hope she doesn't ask me anything in case I embarrass myself again trying to answer. Dang, it feels like my first year back at home trying to talk with…someone. I can't really remember who it was.

"We're almost there." Robina says, stopping and breaking me out of my thoughts. "There are three places we should drop by from here," Robina waves to the different directions that the path has broken in to. "There's a cave to your left with basilisks, a cliff to your right that boveoxes and clawkin wanderers occasionally rest near or the clearing straight ahead where I think a group of unicougars is staying." She explains as I take the time to put on my armor. "Where to first?" she asks me, serious. I had never once heard of any of these creatures but the unicougars sound interesting, familiar and easy enough to impress with.

"Let's go straight ahead…if that's okay." She breathes out, exasperated with my answer.

"Look kid, don't be so weak. I'm not going to eat you, you know." She snaps at me, walking off. I rush to follow her to the clearing ahead, chastising myself quietly for being stupid again. Once I catch up to her, she pulls out her bow and fires two arrows in quick succession at two unicougars, who were conveniently prowling the area along with a few others, and hit then dead on, knocking them both out. The arrows must have some sort of sedative poison on them.

There were only two creatures left in the clearing; another unicougar and a giant squirrel. The squirrel takes one look at Robina and then runs away into the trees. So actually, there's just one.

"There, I made it easy for you. Now show me that you can actually do something  _warrior._ " The unicougar from across the clearing was now bounding over to us, ready to pounce and impale my face with its horn. C'mon Ty, pull yourself together. This is your chance. I grip my sword and slowly step forward, waiting for the right moment to strike. The unicougar pounces from nearly two meters away, claws unsheathed. Just as it's about to reach me, I quick-draw my sword and slash its face which causes it to veer off and skid on the grass but also causes me to lose my balance and my hold on my sword. The creature quickly regains its composure though and growls, crouching and bunching up its muscles, ready to pounce once more. Still on the ground, I had to scramble to get to my sword in time. Just as it tries once more to ram into me, I panic and swing recklessly with the hilt of my sword to try to knock the cat away. It was lucky that I managed to hit it square in the noggin. The beast falls to the ground, head probably ringing. The cat clumsily gets back up on its feet and struggles to claw at me but I kick it in the head before it can make a swipe and the cat blacks out completely. I crawl next to it and check to see if it I hadn't actually killed the unicougar. Luckily it was still breathing so maybe it would survive long enough for another adventurer to come along and finish the job. I probably lowered its expectations.

"So…how was that?" I ask shyly as I pick myself up from the ground. I must have made a terrible performance; she'll rip me a new one for that. I look back to Robina for an answer. She was in the midst of shakily lowering her bow. She exhales in relief after giving me a once over.

"You scared me! I didn't think you were actually that much of an amateur." Just then I see a flash of light and a glimpse of fur and a horn behind Robina. Without thinking, I jump towards her and push her to the ground and out of the way, only to have a unicougar crash into me for my trouble. Once both the unicougar and I hit the ground, I quickly wrap my arms the cat's neck and squeeze as hard as I can. The cat thrashes around and tries to claw me off but I slide around onto its back to avoid too many scratches and to keep it from getting up. The unicougar tries it's best to squirm and flail in an effort to throw me off but I keep a death grip on its throat and endure the claws tearing at my arms.

"Ty! I can't get a clear shot!" Robina shouts to me. She doesn't need to. The clawing and thrashing are already slowing down into just harmless pawing and squirming. Five seconds later, I let go to keep it from suffocating. I had judged correctly. The unicougar is limp and out cold but still alive. I roll onto my back and relax. I raise my arms to check for damage. Fortunately my armor had kept the cat from tearing into them. The armor was good; there wasn't even a dent. Regrettably, the unicougar had made a deep slash in my cheek along with a number of smaller ones; I can feel the blood leaking down my face and dripping onto the grass. I put pressure on the wound and squeeze my eyes shut when I feel the sting. I hate wounds on the head. It makes me look weak.

"Ty, I forgot to tell you that unicougars can teleport somewhat, but you did great…are you alright? Oh geez…" I slowly open my eyes to find Robina kneeling beside me. "Does it feel that bad?"

"No, I'm just keeping it from gushing out too much," I answer quietly, still angry that I let the cat harm my face. I can feel the blood leaking through my fingers. I turn my head over to the side and reach out to my bag that was lying just out of arm's length. Understanding what I was trying to get, Robina grabs my bag for me and pulls out a potion. She hands the bottle of the thin red liquid to me and I stare at it questioningly before I take it.

"Do I drink it or splash it on? It's my first time using this." She's slightly taken aback by my comment; Twilly probably didn't mention that I'm new to everything around here. Did I even tell him? I can't believe a tiny scratch is making my head this fuzzy.

"Do both; that'll help," Following her instruction, I take a swig and pour some into the wound before closing it. The potion tasted like strawberries and I felt myself become refreshed. "Do you want me to walk you back kid?" Jolting up at her words, I sit up and shake my head at her.

"What? Because of this? I've had worse and besides, it's gone already." I take my hand off of the wound and Robina's eyes widen at the sight. "And I think I'm only a few years younger than you."

"How? It's not even there anymore!" Wow, these potions are good. What my healing factor would have done in a few hours, the potion helped speed it up to just a minute or two. I need to get more of these.

"So how about we load the gold onto the little kitties here before we head off," I smile, cleaning the leftover potion and blood from my face.

"Alright. If you feel well enough." Is there something going on? First she's cold and now she's babying me.

"Don't worry about me…so…do we stuff the gold into their mouths or into the other end?"

…

The rest of the quest was easy and for the most part, uneventful. Robina, though reluctant at first, stood back and let me handle the forest creatures. I had taken them down pretty well too. Apparently I was okay; Robina had seen much better but said that I was promising. She got a lot nicer for some reason.

"Hi Twilly, we're back," I greet, coming back to the spot by the creek. Everything was the same as we left it a few hours before. Even the sneevil had dozed off. Twilly, who was just napping, sits up and rubs his eyes.

"Are you all done?" Twilly asks, still groggy. "How long did you take?"

"Maybe two hours, give or take." I answer, leaning down to pinch his cheek.

"Not long at all. I thought she would have slowed me down but I guess I was mistaken. I'm very impressed," Robina comments, looking to me and Twilly. "So a deal's a deal. Go ahead and have the box."

"Wait, that's it? I can have it? Just like that? There's nothing else you want me to do?"

"Yup. You did what I asked so you can have the box. What were you expecting?"

"…Nothing much I guess. It seems like such a valuable item that. I thought I would have to do something more difficult to get it…"

"You worked hard for it and besides, I'm not keeping anything from Twilly or the Lady for a trivial reason like that." She smiles at me, nodding over to the box. "Now hurry up and take it before I'm tempted to make you do something else." Fair enough.

"Actually, I wasn't expecting that," I say, pulling the box out. "I was expecting something to pop out and-"

"Not so fast peasant!" A puff of smoke appears from beside us, startling both Twilly and Robina. And what do you know, its destiny boy trying to make an entrance.

"You!" Robina shouts.

"Huh? You know him!" I blurt out. Robina gives me a glance and shakes her head. It's not the right time to answer, I suppose.

"Ah Robina, thank you for keeping the Black Dragon Box safe for me. I see you've met my new friend. That's wonderful. Now I can kill you both at the same time!"

"Wow, you have the worst timing in the world. We just came back and Twilly was all by himself for the longest…" I trail off, getting a good look at him. And just like the last time we met face to face, I couldn't hold in my giggles. "And what happened to you?" I say in between my giggles. "You somehow look worse than before." Drakath's face was covered in scratches and bandages. I dare say he might have been mauled by something. I wonder what that could've been.

"That's none of your business!" he bursts out.

"Ty, be careful!" Robina says, tensing. Twilly jumps off from his box and quickly hides behind Robina.

"You know Robina, I was going to say something was about to pop out and give me a tougher fight for the box," I state, standing up slowly to face him. "But this is actually more of an annoyance than anything. Seriously Drakath, didn't you learn anything from last time?"

"Yes, I learned that you were a fool for letting me live,"

"Careful; you'll make me regret that."

"Oh you will, because this time I came prepared for you…the both of you." A beast, almost twice as tall as me and, lumbers out of the shadows and comes to a stop behind Drakath. It's a huge red and black thing with thick muscular arms long enough to touch the ground. The monster's skin looks really slimy; slimy enough to glisten in the sun and not in the attractive way…to most people.

"So this time you decided to bring your girlfriend to help you out." I tease, watching as the thing starts drooling. "You have pretty bad taste."

"You-"

"Oh I'm sorry," I taunt, interrupting him. "I was mistaken. So this time your boyfriend came to help you out."

"He has pretty bad taste," Robina adds.

"Enough!" Drakath snarls, drawing his sword. "Now…I will have my box! Krakhim, attack!"

The thing, Krakhim I guess, lets out an ear piercing roar. It plunges its hands into the ground and rips a chunk out. Krakhim lifts the chunk over his head probably meaning to throw the rock at me. I was about to jump out of the way when I feel three arrows whiz by me. Two hit the monster's neck and the third pierces through one of his eyes. The beast makes one final gurgle before going flopping to the ground, letting the rock crash down on its own head. Both Drakath and I stare down at the corpse, dumbfounded.

"That was short lived." I sigh, purposely moving in front of Drakath to block Robina's aim. "Now that Robina's taken care of your backup, see if I can manage to beat you faster than last time."

"That was a fluke! This time you will no-" I strike first this time, right when he was about to monologue. He blocks just in time and my sword slams down on his. Undeterred, I keep pushing and slashing to overwhelm him. All he can do is struggle to block; getting shakier with each strike. Finally, I get a shot in on his arm that's hard enough to cut through his thin leather armor. I feel the sword slice through his skin and he cries out in pain. Drakath tries to step back to recover himself but I don't let up on my assault and force him to keep deflecting them. "Aren't you going to attack me? I feel kinda bad bullying you like this," I mock, continuing my strikes. "At least try to save yourself before I gut you." Apparently, I struck a nerve. With a burst of strength, he shoves me off and makes a weak slash at me. I dodge the slash easily and he staggers back, clutching his wounded arm.

"You will pay for this…"he pants, still backing away.

"Leaving already? That's hardly even a scratch. How embarrassing." I jeer at him, aiming to provoke.

"Ty, just let him go. He isn't a threat to us anymore." Robina calls to me, concerned and surprised at my actions.

"…Yeah, you're right," I pretend to sigh. "This fight's over." The look on Drakath says otherwise. He grimaces; taking pressure off of his wound and grips his sword tightly.

"Do not take me lightly!" he yells, charging at me. He swings his sword like a baseball bat at me and winces when our swords clash. I humor him, parrying a few more of his strikes before sidestepping one of them, which makes him lose his balance. He crashes down onto the ground and his sword falls out of his grip. In one quick motion, I kick his sword into the creek and slash at his back when he tries to push himself up, creating a thin gash across it. Revenge for last time but I'll keep it relatively small. Twilly and Robina are here after all. Drakath yelps out in pain and I knock him onto his back again. He sits back up as quick as he can manage, groaning with the effort, but I'm already there, squatting beside him with the tip of my sword poking into his neck.

"Now it's over for good." I tell him, sounding bored. "I'm disappointed. I was expecting you to get better after our last bout but all you can do is flail around like a fool." I continue, hearing a low growl coming from Drakath. He's pushing his luck so I dig the tip deeper into his skin, but he doesn't budge. "You've lost and you'll keep losing if you keep running into me so just give up already. You're starting to get on my nerves and you've stopped being interesting a long time ago. I know there won't be any more surprises from you so-"I get interrupted by the force of his fist slamming into my face, making a loud crack. I didn't see it coming. I was actually blindsided by him. He punched me, eyes wide with fury. Eyes, that I noticed, were a shade of dark green. I reel back in pain and cup my nose. It's broken for sure.

"TY!" Both Twilly and Robina shout. "You evil-"Robina begins, aiming an arrow at him. I raise a hand, signaling her to stop. Staggering up on my feet, I laugh quietly and wipe away the blood pouring out of my nose.

"You actually have some guts," I start, tossing my sword to the side. Drakath, who was grinning before, starts getting nervous. "But you're still a terrible swordsman. Even worse than me and I'm a novice." I continue, ignoring the pain in my nose and approach Drakath, who was still sitting on the ground. "But that was an invitation wasn't it?" I say, pointing at my bleeding nose. "I'm a warrior in training still but… let's say I have a lot of experience hand to hand. Now get up; you've convinced me to give you another chance. You got yourself into this and now I'm not holding back anymore." I punch a fist into my hand, tempting him into another round. His smirk returns and he gets up, completely forgetting about his injuries.

"Ha, a scrawny little thing like you? That was a poor choice. I'll break you into pieces!" He charges at me, going for my head again. I lean my head to the side and let his fist fly over my shoulder before upper cutting his chin.

"Too slow," I taunt, elbowing his stomach. The moment he starts wobbling back, clutching his stomach, I let loose a flurry of strikes. I land punch after low kick after hard punch on him, creating a chain. It's been too long since I've had a living punching bag to practice on and he's so squishy too. He strains himself to withstand my attacks and tries to land a few himself but his attacks are too easy to block and dodge. I don't break my flow once. Then, unexpectedly, when I move to block one of his punches, he grabs my arm instead and tries to fling me to the ground. I trip him up though, and we both tumble down and land with a thump. Due to the pain and sudden jolt of force from falling, I become disoriented and small dots start to appear in my vision. I clasp my nose and try to pull myself back together not noticing that we had landed next to the creek. Drakath, however, does. Spitting out a mouthful of blood, he drags himself closer to the creek.

"No more games," he spits, reaching out to his blade that was resting under the water. "You were foolish thinking that I would fight fairly."

"You're an idiot. We were never fighting fairly," I groan as I get up, somewhat amused. The moment his hand touches the surface of the creek, an arrow hits its mark, zipping a hairs length by his head and landing a sliver away from skewering his hand. Slowly, he turns around to find Robina smirking with another arrow directed at him. Twilly was perched on her shoulder and making faces at him. "I had fun riling you up. You're such an amusing toy." Realizing that he had lost the moment his beast fell, he scowls and balls his hands into fists, turning his knuckles white. Though he probably doesn't notice it, he's trembling a bit too. I'm pretty sure it's only half out of anger, the other half most certainly being out of fear.

"…Fine, I'll deal with you later, but…the BOX IS MINE!" he yells, lunging for the box.

"No!" Robina shouts, letting the arrow go loose. A crate blocks it from stabbing into the lousy bandit and he reaches the box. "Ty! Don't let him take the box!" Just as the words leave Robina's mouth, I jump towards Drakath and he flings the box open to reveal…abso-fucking-lutely nothing.

"Empty!"We both yell. "H-How? Why?"

"Yes! Empty!" The sneevil yells from overhead. I forgot that he was still there. "Now give me back my beautiful box! Already dumped out useless thing in box!" A beat of silence passes between us. All of that, my whole day, my time, for nothing.

"Where did you dump it!" I demand, grabbing my sword.

"Sneevil dump site of course!"

I'm going to murder that snorting pig. Slowly.


	8. Taking Unfortunate Chances

"TY! TY! Don't worry! Twillies knows someone who can find it!" Twilly assures me, still perched up on Robina's shoulder. "So pwease, could you get down from the crate."

"Huh? Oh that's nice Twilly," I say, having jumped on a large crate a few seconds before. I was, at the moment, level with the little bastard and had one of my hands choking him into submission. Still hanging upside-down, the suffocating sneevil was grasping at my hand, refusing to answer. "but I bet it'll be much more fun seeing whether or not this green little piggy will tell me where his dump is before he turns into a blue little piggy." I continue, tightening my grip and shaking him for emphasis. The damn thing was starting to drool all over my hand. "And after I'm done with him, I'm going to finish what the raccoon couldn't." I state, pointing my sword in Drakath's direction.

"That was your doing?" Drakath exclaims, still kneeling next to the black box with another one of Robina's arrow's pointed at his head. He was clasping the wound on his arm and bruises were starting to blossom on his face. I probably look almost just as bad as he does; my nose was throbbing like crazy.

"No, the raccoon just decided that you guys really deserved to be miserable so he snuck in, emotionally scarred two of your idiots, ate all of your loot, caused mass panic, set your camp on fire and ripped up your poor baby face." I snark at him, still shaking the sneevil. "By the way, how are Darry and Udolf doing? I hope they weren't dreaming of becoming world class  _handymen_ because if they were, those dreams must have went up in _flames._ "

"I'll make you pay for that," he growls.

"I'd like to see you try." My words provoke him into wobbly standing up but Robina stops him midway.

"Stay down," she orders him, pulling the arrow farther back. "And Ty…I think you might want to let go."

"Oh…oops," I slowly release my hold on the sneevil who was still alive but I had regrettably choked him out. I give him a poke but all he does is sway back and forth lifelessly. "Hey…maybe he'll wake up if we use him as a piñata for a bit."

"It's okay Ty! Twillies and Ty can go get the egg tomorrow. Please please get down from the crate…please?" Drat, I must be scaring him.

"Okay then…" I comply, carefully getting off of the crate. "Let me just take care of "ugly" over here and then we can get back to business.

"Look who's talking," Drakath sneers.

"At least I don't look terrible every day," I retort, advancing on him. "Now are you going to run away or do I have to drag you back with me?"

"You…" he begins shakily, backing away from me. Recognizing that there was nothing more that he could do, he scowls and reaches back into one of his pockets. "I'll find a way to get back at you."

"That better be a promise." Without another word, he throws down a smoke pellet and disappears. Once I decide that he's definitely not around anymore, I fall back to sit on the ground. I had to really push myself to show him who was superior but the whole time I felt like I was about to pass out. It got better as things got along but still. Gingerly, I feel around my nose and find that it was swollen, crooked and still bleeding. Great, now the next time I see him I'm going to have to break his nose. "Sorry guys, I got carried away didn't I… and I couldn't even get what was in the box in time." I apologize when both Twilly and Robina come over to check on me.

"That's not your fault Ty." Twilly says, patting me on the shoulder.

"Why are you even sorry? If that was you getting carried away then you should do that more often!" Robina says. "Though maybe next time, you shouldn't taunt them when you're leaning in like that," She continues, reaching out a hand to gently touch my nose and I steel myself to keep from flinching back. "It's not too bad. Twilly, why don't you heal it up. It probably won't even need a bandage."

"Really? If that's the case then just give me a moment," I count to three in my head and then quickly re-set my crooked nose. It makes a sickening cracking sound and I scream into my hand as the pain pierces into my nose. I think I hear Twilly screaming too. "…That should do it. Don't want to keep it crooked right?" I manage, looking up. My vision was fuzzy and I was seeing triple but I could make out a red shape getting close to me and cupping my face. Immediately, relief washes over me and the all of the pain ebbs in a flash of warm light. From what I could see, I was fully healed. "Wow, thanks Twilly! You're really good." He smiles at my compliment and reaches out, indicating to me that he wants me to pick him up.

"Thank you for everything Robina," I say, placing Twilly back on my shoulder. "It would be nice if I could stick around but we better head off. Though it's really  _really_  unlikely, there might be a chance that the idiot might find out where the dumpsite is before I do and there's no way I'm going to let the Lady down again."

"But aren't you tired?" Twilly asks, concerned. "You've been running around all day and it might get dark when we find the dumpsite. You should rest for a bit; it'll help."

"Nu-uh. No more waiting around. I already kept you waiting for too long so I'm going to get it back today, no matter what. I could drop you off somewhere if you're tired Twilly." Twilly quickly shakes his head at my question and hugs my head.

"Tenacious aren't we? I like that," Robina smiles. "Though I should be the one thanking you. You saved me a lot of work today and you gave me a great show too. You also had to put up with my grouching for a while too, so…sorry about that." She apologizes awkwardly.

"Oh…was there something I did wrong before?"

"No no…it's just that…I guess I was just in a bad mood before," She explains, ruffling my hair. "So you better hurry, right kiddo? Come back anytime you want and next time you can tell me about that raccoon." I beam at her farewell and bow, which Robina chuckles at, before I head on my way. As I jog back down the path that lead back to Falconreach, I look back at her one last time. When she waves farewell to me, I start to feel really bad that I couldn't ever take her up on her offer.

…

When we exited Surewould Forest, Twilly directed me down the path that apparently lead to "That A'Way."

"If we just keep going this way and we'll run into Valencia, the rare item hunter. She'll know where the dumpsite is!" Twilly tells me as I keep running down the path. There weren't as many trees around so now I could see the sky much more clearly. There was hardly a cloud out and it was most likely late afternoon, so I had a lot of time. On the horizon, however, I could see something huge and…gold! It was a gigantic solid gold statue of a man standing right there and gleaming in the sun.

"Twilly…what kind of person is Valencia?" I ask, as I get closer to the statue.

"She's fun!" Oh I bet. I slow down to a walking pace as I near the statue. Leaning on one of its leg was a lady with amazingly beautiful purple hair. She had her eyes closed and she was crossing her arms. As if knowing the exact moment I was arriving, she opens one of her eyes and beckons me over. I perk up and trot over to her.

"H-hi there!" I stammer. Ah crap…not again.

"Hi Valencia!" Twilly chirps excitedly. "We need your help please." Valencia smiles at Twilly and pushes herself off of the statue. Then she switches her gaze to me. She gets close and stares down at me, pensive. It was like she was assessing me or something. Now that we were face-to-face (Literally. She's getting uncomfortably close. Her hoop earrings were dangling close enough to whack my cheek.), I find that she's also really tall. Her eyes were fern green and her garments resembled that of a gypsy's.

I swallow uncomfortably and try to back away slightly. But before I can, she tips my chin up to get a better look at me. I could feel myself blushing.

"Hmmmm, my my Twilly. You've brought me such an  _interesting_  young adventurer." She grins down to me, letting go of my face and standing back. "I am Valencia SureHunter, the world famous rare item collector. And you are…?"

"This is Ty!" Twilly introduces me. "She's a hero!"

"Um yes I… wait. What?" I'm no hero. Maybe a small time one sometimes but no way am I like the heroes back in Falconreach. "Actually I-"

"So you're a hero?" Valencia interrupts me.

"Well I-"

"How Fascinating! I love hearing stories about heroes. Tell me, what's yours?" This conversation is really going into a bad direction.

"The thing is-"

"Were you a young child raised on a farm who left to pursue a life of action and adventure?"

"Um…no."

"Do you have amnesia and have forgotten that you are actually royalty or have some secret hidden power?" Even though she was partly right, it was still far from the truth. Something that I'm not sharing.

"No…not really,"

"Was your homeworld destroyed and you were sent here in the last escape pod?" Now were getting really far off.

"Not even."

"Oh…then was your family taken from you at a young age causing you to train your entire life to protect others?" It was amazing how she could get so close to the truth but land an inch away.

"That's nice and all but…not even close" Valencia was starting to get more and more disappointed which made me feel self-conscious again. I know I can't tell her about it but does anyone really need a remarkable backstory to be interesting? Ordinary people can do amazing things too.

"Did you find super powers the day you lifted your weapon above your head and said, "By the power of numbskull"?"

"I have dignity you know,"

"Then…did you go back in time in a cool looking car to change the course of history for the better?"

"No and how do you know what a car is!"

"Do you have a cool looking birthmark or symbol which is part of your destiny." She continues, completely ignoring my question.

"Yeah…no. Destiny doesn't control me," She takes time to think about her next crazy theory before leaning in again to whisper to me.

"Perhaps…Did you figure out that the world around you is really a…computer game and you are The One?"

"No…I definitely am not the one. However," I begin, making a side long glance at no one in particular or perhaps a  _certain special_  someone in particular. "It all depends on how you take it, right?"

"Hmmmm," Valencia steps back again to give me another once over, excitement completely drained. "Are you absolutely sure you're a hero?" she inquires.

"Of course she is," Twilly says. Not knowing how to respond, I remain silent.

"Well if you are, then we better work on your backstory. It's a very important part of being a hero," Valencia says, half sighing.

"Well…mine is a very uninteresting and normal one. No one wants to hear about that." And I don't want anyone knowing the real one. The pitchforks and fire really hurt the last time.

"Honey, all you need to do is spice it up. You don't let the truth get in the way of a good story, am I right?" Valencia winks at me.

"Yeah I guess…" I murmur, blushing again. "Anyway, we should be getting back on track. You see Twilly and I were after a Black Dragon Box. We hit some bumps along the way and sort of…lost its contents. We were wondering if you could help us find the sneevil dumpsite; I think that's where it ended up."

"Wait a moment," Valencia says, mischievous grin returning. "Did you say you were after  _The Black Dragon Box?"_

"Why yes, that's what I'm helping Twilly return to the Lady Celestia." Valencia, once again fully invigorated, gasps dramatically and jumps forward to take my hand in both of hers.

"That's incredible! I can't believe it's you. You're the one who is going to get the egg! You're the one who is-"

Valencia is suddenly cut off by the sound of Twilly screaming. He sounded like he was screaming something close to *Ngblaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!* before he sprang onto Valencia's face, knocking them both backwards onto the ground. Though Twilly is very light, the sheer surprise of him screaming and jumping at Valencia must have caught her off guard and just messed up her balance.

"mphhh…Twilly!" she exclaims, after pulling him off. "What was that!"

"Ummm…I" Twilly stammers with Valencia holding him off the ground by his collar. "Twillies…Twillies saw a fly! Twillies didn't want Valencia to accidently swallow it. Yes!"

"I didn't see a fly," I say, once again suspicious. I get down on my knees to confront him.

"It was very small but it could have been…venomous!" he explains, jumping out of Valencia's hold.

"I don't buy that for a second! Valencia, what were you about to say!"

"Well I was going to say that-"

"Oh, would you look at that. It's going to get dark soon. Valencia, could you give her directions to the Sneevil Dumpsite." Twilly cuts in, looking at his nonexistent nor time appropriate watch.

"…Twilly, are you feeling well?" Valencia asks him carefully.

"Directions! Directions please!"

"Okay, okay," Valencia reaches into one of her pockets and pulls out a quill and a tattered piece of paper and begins writing.

"Twilly, you're hiding something! What is it?" I accuse him.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Hey, it looks like Valencia's done," he says nervously, snatching the paper out of Valencia's hands.

"Yes…it's not that far away but…"

"Alright Ty!" he says, shoving the directions into my hands. "Now go on! We don't want the scary man to get the egg right!"

"No Twilly! You better tell me what's going on right now or else I'm not going!" Twilly stares up at me, expression unmoving, but seconds later he bursts into tears and falls down in front of me.

"Ty Pwease," he begs. "This is hurting Twillies more than anything else! Pwease Pwease Pwease,"he sobs, clinging to my knee. The rest of his words fades into hysterical babble and I can't stop him. I look to Valencia, who is wearing about the same bewildered look as me. Apparently, this must not happen often.

"…Okay. Fine," I concede, getting up. "I'm going to go get this egg and when I get back, you're going to have a lot to explain,"

"…Really?" He says, still half sobbing. "Then Twillies will stay here with Valencia while you be the bestest person ever and get the egg!"

"I suppose that means I'll stay to take care of him," she sighs. "Though I'm surprised." Twilly tenses at her comment and I become intrigued. "From looking at you two and considering the Lady, I would think you would be going after the White Dragon Box…but never mind. I'm sure there's a good reason for the Lady to have it. Now get along, I'm sure it'll be easy to find the Dragon Egg at the dumpsite. Don't worry about us; I'll take care of Twilly."

"Alright, I'll see you two later," I say, looking down at the directions. Not that far at all. I set off and as I leave I can faintly make out Twilly saying something to Valencia.

"Valencia…Ty isn't like us."

I'll…take care of this when I get back.

…

When I reached the Dumpsite, I was awestruck. It was huge; enormous even. There were mountains of weapons, books, trinkets, skulls and others. Since the Sneevils were very interested in pretty and valuable boxes, this dumpsite could very well be a treasure trove. But considering that someone like Valencia knows where this place is, it's probably a gigantic shit pile ninety percent of the time.

"Now where oh where can that egg be…" I muse to myself as I scan the horizon. I'm going to venture that the sneevil dropped off the Lady's egg yesterday since he was running around with it today. So that probably means it's somewhere on top of a pile or mountain somewhere.

"And what do you know; I'm right," Straight in front of me was a green speckled red egg. It was, without a doubt, a dragon egg. It was sitting atop of a pile of what I hope was dirt on a somewhat steep incline. The path to it was basically clear save for some monsters that were not many enough to be an immediate threat. They included slow moving plants that I can easily handle, strange metal…I'm going to say robots if it makes any sense and there was also a living sack thing floating around. Since I have no idea how to handle the last two, I'll keep my distance from them. But other than that, I can probably just walk up there and grab the egg. In fact, I'll do just that.

Casually walking up the slope, I start to hum a tune that my younger sister had recently started to play on her piano before father sent me on this impromptu trip. It was this very dreamy upbeat tune that had a clockwork like beat. It seemed cheerful on top but I couldn't help but feel like there was some underlying hopelessness to it. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she always looked far away when she was toying around with it. As I slice the head off of a thistle monster that was trying to spear me with its thorns, letting its green juices spray out its now stumpy headless stem, I realize that my humming sort of clashed with the entire situation.

She told me that it was unfinished and that all she could think about when she was playing around with it was the sea and me. That…actually disturbed me a lot but the tune stayed in my head like an ear worm for the next few months. It comes and goes nowadays but I can't get rid of it. That's kind of annoying but you have to expect that when your sister's a siren.

Eventually she got tired and tried to ditch the idea but after I prodded her to continue it, she gave in and said that she'll get back to it when she gets inspiration again.

"That could mean anything from a day to five centuries…" I muse out loud, throwing a knife at another Thistle and walking around one of the metal monsters. They don't seem to respond if I don't engage them directly. I resumed humming the tune as I near the top of the slope, twirling my sword casually. No more notable monster's and the egg's right there; there's even daylight to spare.

"I really should pick the egg up now," I say to myself, about five feet from where the egg was sitting. "But just let me savor the moment for a bit. It's the first time I've ever done a mission…or well an important favor by myself. It's a small favor but worth something, right?" I laugh, stepping forward. "Now let me just pick you up and bring you back to the Lady. Then I can get back to ca-"

"KREEOW! KREEOW!" Just then, I had a hallucination of a gigantic vulture swooping down and snatching the egg away before flying off into the sky. But that was a hallucination. No way it actually happened. I must be hungry or something. I rub my eyes a little bit before looking back at the egg…which was still there…it's still there…it's still there…

"Fuck…fuck…FUCK!" I scream at the sky, pulling at my hair. "No, that did not just happen. Just great! I had to go through sneevils, monsters, humiliating that little bitch to get here. What the fuck is next!" I honestly don't care that John would rip my tongue out if he heard me but no one's around so let me go into a nice mental break down. For once. "I'll get you vulture. I'll find you and I'll rip that egg out of your cold, dead, soon to be mounted talons." I swear, storming back down the slope. In my anger, I stomp on top of something soft and it shrieks. I quickly clap my hands over my ears and look down at the thing that I accidently stepped on. It was one of those sack monsters; it must have been napping or something. Whatever it was doing, I made it mad. The sack rips itself out from under me and makes me lose my footing. I tumble down the slope and ram into one of the metal robots which also loses its balance and starts to fall. The two of us manage to take another robot and floating sack down before we all crashed into a mountain of sharp objects at the bottom, with me sandwiched between a robot and the sack monster. Thanks to the force of our collision, a cascade of junk topples down from the top of the junk mountain and buries us. It sounds ridiculous now that I have a second to think about it.

The other monsters were going crazy, flapping their limbs around hopelessly stuck in the mound of junk. The garbage that we were stuck in was swallowing us up and their movements were only making it worse. I broke a few ribs in the fall and got stabbed by something in the pile so I was a bit out of it. The metal limb that socks me in the head serves as a wakeup call and I pull my sword out. Luckily, it wasn't stuck and I got it out easily. Straightaway, I randomly hack at the monsters through the garbage as I couldn't really do anything fancy while I was stuck like this. I start on the metal being, creating deep scratches on its body. I would've gone for the head as per usual but it the trash was obscuring it. Seeing that my attacks hadn't done much to the struggling monster, I begin stabbing it instead. Each stab takes a lot of my strength but after the third thrust, the thing stops moving.

I take a moment to gather my wits before I start digging my way up through the junk. Apparently, the sack had already dug its way out while I was dealing with while I was slaying the big one. It left a little hole on its way out. I hastily climb out of the pile and reach the surface and peek my head out to survey the area. Seeing that there was nothing around that could attack me anymore, I push myself out. An ethereal screech proves me wrong and I turn around to find the sack flying towards me, aiming to kill. Without hesitation, I raise my sword and the sack flies in and spears itself…before completely disappearing.

"Where did…? You know, it doesn't even matter anymore," I sigh, getting back onto the ground. Wait a minute, where's robot number two? As if answering my question, I see from the corner of my eye a pair of metal legs sticking out of the side of the mountain of junk. The other robot thing that we bumped into had lodged itself right there and had given up trying to get out. "I'm wondering if I should have done that a while ago buddy," The legs make one last futile kick in response. "But I can't let down Twilly or that nice Lady right? I'll just…limp back then." I sigh, doing just that. Man, I suck. "Valencia probably knows where that bird went. I'll ask her then I can get this thing over with." I agonizingly drag myself back towards where I left Twilly and Valencia, only comforted by the thoughts of what I was going to do to that bird once I get my hands on it.


	9. Just A Little Bit Out There

"Hi again," Both Twilly and Valencia are startled by my greeting. Valencia had been leaning on the statue again with Twilly sitting on her shoulder. They had been engrossed in some sort of hushed conversation before I stepped in. "I'm sorry. Did I startle you?" I ask bluntly.

"…Yes. You just sort of snuck up on us." Valencia answers, laughing nervously. "Did you get the egg?" She ventures.

"No, but I'll get it soon. I just need to ask you something,"

"And what might that be?" Valencia asks, somewhat uneasily.

"A particularly giant vulture with four red eyes took the egg before I could get to it," I begin, scowling. "Do you know anything about it?" I snap before I could stop myself. Valencia, taken aback by my bark, looks back at Twilly with an enquiring expression before she responds to my question.

"Sure I do; it was probably a vultragon. They're wretched scavengers that steal and eat each other's eggs. Their eggs look very similar to dragon eggs. If it was a big as you say, then it's probably  _the Ultra-Vultragon._ He lives at the top of Mt. Moordor."

"So what kind of place is this Mt. Moordor?" I ask snappily. Twilly was examining me worriedly.

"Moordor? It's a deadly mountain of treasure and the bane of door to door salesmen everywhere," she chuckles, trailing off when she notices that my serious posture hadn't changed. "Yes…a huge vultragon lives at the top. It's in the area so that vultragon was probably the one that took the egg."

"Where is it?"

"How about I show you this time," Valencia offers and Twilly nods in agreement. "But I think it'll be better if we do that tomorrow. It actually is going to get dark this time." She was right. The sun was setting over the horizon and had dyed the sky a soft orange.

"You did a bunch already Ty," Twilly adds. "Maybe it's time for a rest."

"Not happening," I say, resolute. "Like I said, I already dallied for too long and something might happen to it if I just stand around. I'll track it down myself if I have to."

"Well if you're that enthusiastic, then we should hurry on." she concedes.

"No. Don't come,"

"What?" she says, surprised.

"I want to handle this one alone. I just…I don't mean to be rude but…" I try to explain. "I just want to fight this one by myself. Privately if you will."

"Could you elaborate a bit more," Valencia asks, becoming a bit irritated. I guess I'm coming off as rude.

"I'm sorry, it's just that…" I really don't want you to see me fight that thing. I need alone time. I really need to go crazy for this one. "I don't really want to…" I trail off. Valencia raises an eyebrow at my attempted explanation and tries to question me further but Twilly stops her.

"It's okay Ty. We understand." Twilly assures me. Valencia obviously still wanted a straight answer but Twilly shook his head at her and whispers something into her ear. Whatever he said, Valencia gives in and pulls out another piece of parchment and starts writing. This is suspicious as hell but I can deal with this later. I need to go salvage my pride.

"I'll get it back this time," I say to Valencia and Twilly as she passes the directions to me once again.

"Here, let Twillies heal you." I think it over for a second and shake my head.

"No thanks Twilly. I only have a couple of scratches here and there. Nothing bad," I say, subtly covering up the small puncture wound on my side. "Heck, I can use them as another motivator to take down that thing."

"Ummm okay…sure. But please be careful,"

"Of course. Now, I'll be seeing you guys later."

"It'll be easy," Valencia promises. "All she needs to do is just simply walk in."

…

"A salesman's nightmare huh," Looking at the mountains of trash here, one could mistake it for the sneevil dumpsite. It was close but just as out of the way as the dumpsite but according to Valcencia's directions " _It looks like the dumpsite but it isn't. Sure there are hills and hills of books, weapons and other miscellaneous things but there is a difference. There weren't any valuables at the dumpsite because I took them all, everything here is just trash. And the layout's different too."_ Then she doodled a cat with a bag of gold. " _And another thing. Since it's getting late, maybe the vultragons will be asleep. Or they might be nocturnal. I'm not actually sure. Maybe you'll get lucky."_ Not likely. " _You may also be wondering why there are doors just standing around there. Me too. I would tell you the quickest way to the top through those doors but I didn't memorize it. You can probably just test all of the routes out. You'll get there eventually."_

Alright, the sun had just barely gone sunk into the horizon so there's still some light out, that means the vultragon might still be awake, at the least if I could finish this fast, I could keep Twilly and Valencia from waiting and get this over with. I could even see where the thieving vultragon was. It was perched on its nest on top of a high cliff that hung amidst the mounds of garbage. I couldn't see a clear path to the nest but judging from the directions, it had something to do with the doors that were hanging around. I was standing in front of the only door that was on the ground. Cautiously, I open the door and peek through. A smaller vultragon stares back at me through the opening and I quickly shut the door.

"So they're magical dimensional doors." I say to myself. "Random…but that's okay I can work with that. One of them has to lead to the big guy, right?" I look back up to the ultra vultragon's nest again and luckily, I spotted a purple doorway a few meters behind the beast. "Right. Onward then." I take out my sword and clasp the doorknob, preparing to charge in.

"One…two…three!" I yell, swinging open the door and stabbing into the vultragon. The bird squawks before I fling it off the ledge that the door transported me to. Without a pause, I swing open the next door and jump in and stab into another vultragon. If I'm quick, I can just find the ultra vultragon nest, get the egg and leave.

I open door after door, crunching bits of trash underfoot, but I couldn't find the nest. Actually, I didn't find any other vultragons besides the last two that were now on the ground waiting to become someone else's dinner.

"Wait a sec," I say out loud. I stop for a moment to examine my surroundings and sure enough, I was on the same ledge that I was on before. I must have been going in circles.

"Is there another door?" I mumble before noticing a green door positioned a few meters away. I hadn't spotted it in my hastiness. An angry squawk jolts me out of my thoughts and I look up to find probably ten of those ugly birds perching on the other ledges and hills of trash. They were looking down at me with murder in their eyes.

"Oh, hi there. I'll just be leaving now," I squeak nervously, pushing open the door and coming face to face with one of them. I froze on the spot, not wanting to set them off. The vultragon in front of me was analyzing me, perhaps wanting to leave me alone. Predators don't attack if they think it'll be too much trouble right? As if answering my question, the thing screeches at me and the others follow suit. The bird launches itself at me, claws outstretched. I jump back through the door and slam it on the vultragon just as it's about to get me. It lets out a pained cry as its bones break and it falls to the ground, twitching.

"How'd you like that bird brain?" I yell, trampling on it as I go back through the door. Two of its friends were on me the moment I stepped through. They flew at me, claws stretching out towards me. I slash the first one down but the other digs its claws into the unprotected parts on my side where my the puncture wound was. I scream something probably profane and grab its neck just as it's about to peck me in my eye. The bird was almost as big as me and I could hardly wrap my hand around its neck but I manage to rip it off of me. It struggles, flapping its huge wings, but I keep an iron grip on it and drag it through the next door with me. Just as I'm through the door, the other seven swoop down to me in a mess of feathers and sharp beaks aimed at one tiny goal. Without thinking, I shield myself with the choking bird and one of the faster ones sinks its claws into it and getting stuck. Their shrieks are deafening. I immediately throw them the ledge before stabbing another and lobbing it down on the ground.

"Ha! Gotcha you little bastard," I say, before another two blindside me. We all go flying over the side of the ledge and I grab wildly at the two of them. Randomly flailing somehow worked and I grabbed on to both of them. Using them as a cushion, I fall on to the ground without breaking a bone. It wasn't a long fall but it was enough to probably rupture an organ or something. My back felt like it shattered from the impact. The rest of me just felt like they got ran over by a boveox or whatever you call those green cows. The fall was also long enough to turn the birds into mush or something resembling it.

"Oh..oh…my god. I think there's a claw stuck in my spine," I gurgle, dizzy. I think I squeezed their guts out of them. That's sort of gross I guess…is the ground supposed to look oruple? Another squawk grabs my attention and I make out the shape of the group of remaining vultragons.

"Hey, are you sure you want to keep fighting," I half yell half slur at them, picking up one of the dead vultragons while still a bit disoriented. "Look at me! I was a dumbass bird who decided to piss this freak off and look at me now! I'm an empty toothpaste tube! Derpaderpaderp," I was using the corpse as a puppet or some sort of crazy shit that I will so regret later. I flap the dead bird's wings and wave it around, flinging bits of meat off with the motion. The others only needed to see five seconds of the outburst before deciding to leave.

"Hee hee," Once their shapes disappear into the coming night, I wobbly get up, abandoning the bird corpse and go to retrieve my sword which had fallen nearby. Wordlessly, I make my way back through the doors and found myself stepping through purple double doors and standing just a few meters from the ultra vultragon. It was snoozing on its nest that sat on a cylindrical rock that came up to my neck height.

Pulling out the healing potion from my bag, I down its contents before tossing it at the vultragon. Bullseye, it smashes right on the bird's head. The monster, rudely awaken from its sleep, turns its attention to me. Screeching, it spreads its wings and hops onto the side on the nest giving me a view of the egg…eggs.

"I see you've been busy. Six eggs…I'll just take them all and figure it out later," I taunt, getting ready to attack.

"Kreeow! Kreeow!"

"You can shut the hell up! You're the one whole stole the egg in the first egg. You probably stole all of those! No mistakes this time. I'm taking all of those eggs and getting out as fast as possible."

"Kreeow! Kreeow!"

"GIVE ME THE EGG!"

The vultragon launches into the air, flying straight up before diving towards me. Prepared this time, I throw two knives. The first one aimed for the head, the other at a wing. The bird deflects the first, knocking it away, but the other hits its mark and sticks in. The bird hardly falters though and keeps diving. I prepare to slash at it when it's about to hit me but at the last second, it swerves around me to grab me. On reflex, I jump away but it's able to graze me and makes scratches on the unarmored areas of my back. I strain to keep myself from crying out. Stumbling forward, I decide to change my strategy.

The bird flew up again, getting ready to swoop down on me. As it was doing that, I sprint to the vultragons nest, hoping to get its attention. An enraged call tells me that I did and I quickly duck behind the nest just as it flies over me. I crouch behind the nest facing the cliff as the vultragon circles back. I was only maybe three meters away and it's a long fall from here. I could probably survive, just minus the ability to walk for a few months.

"C'mon, dive for me again." I mutter, watching the vultragon hover in the air glaring back. My knife was still in its wing. It's not affecting the vultragon's flight at all.

The vultragon suddenly shrieks and shoots down towards me like an arrow. Claws stretching out, it aims to grab me but I don't budge. Instead, I sheath my sword and get ready. When it flies in close enough, I jump at it, leaping between its legs and colliding with its body. I knock it backwards down onto the ground, inches away from the edge of the cliff. I fight with the bird to keep it from throwing me off and grasp around to try to grab on to my knife that's still set in its wing, ripping off handfuls of feathers when I missed. Just as I brush the tip the hilt, one of the vultragon's talons latches my armor and tries to fling me away. Clutching its feathers as it jerks its leg around, I drag myself up to fully grasp the hilt and dig it deeper into the meat of its wing. The vultragon shrieks in pain and anger and finally tears me off of itself, ripping open its own wing and tearing out a good portion of its feathers in the process. I didn't go far; the feeling of my knife cutting through its wing surprised it enough to stop mid throw but was enough to get me out of its clutches and landing on the ground just in front of it. I immediately jump back onto my feet when I'm free, knife still in hand, and push the vultragon off of the cliff using all of the strength that I had left. The vultragon has no time to fight back and it plummets down into the piles of trash below, screeching the whole way.

Lady Luck was giving me another break again. Somehow, the vultragon had missed all of the nearby piles of trash and had instead crashed into the bare ground that sat between them. Though deprived of a somewhat softer landing, the monster was still alive.

"Not for long though," I smile down on the flailing creature struggling to fly despite its torn up wing and probably more than a few broken bones. "Hope you like getting picked off by your own kind. Who knows, maybe it'll be scavenging wolves that get you. It'll be faster wouldn't it?" I laugh, literally looking down on the hobbling scavenger. "Seems like the monster triumphs again…" And this whole thing is why I asked Valencia to stay back.

Suddenly remembering why I was here in the first place, I rush back to the nest and grab a hold on to the eggs.

"Finally," I sigh, hugging the clutch of eggs. "I'm not sure which one of you guys is the dragon egg but I'll just take all of you back and find out later." Hurriedly, I begin to place them into my bag. "Till then I'll make sure to keep you safe. All six of-" My heart gets caught in my throat when I accidently back hand the last egg off of the nest. "aw-aw-aw…all five of you." I leave the cliff and the dumpsite as quickly as possible, not bothering to look where the egg broke open.

…

"Ty! Ty! You're back!" Twilly greets me cheerily while Valencia raised a hand in greeting. "But why are you all wet?"

"I sort of tripped into a puddle," I lie, without batting an eye. I didn't want to come back covered in bird guts and feathers so I "borrowed" a traveler's bucket and went to a nearby river to clean myself up. Getting the bucket was easy; it was dark now so the guy on the wagon didn't even realize there was anyone around. Getting water from the river on the other hand…bleah. Took me a while before I even worked up the courage to get near the edge let alone scoop three buckets of water out. Couldn't imagine actually getting into the thing. "I'm sorry I'm so late but I finally got you the egg!"

"Let's see! Let's see!" Twilly chirps excitedly.

"The thing is…I got you five." Twilly looks back at me confused for a moment before I take all five of the eggs out a lay them carefully on the ground. "The vultragon had si-five eggs but they all look the same to me. I was wondering if you or Valencia could tell the difference." Twilly shook his head and looked to Valencia who was quiet the entire time. She had been gazing at me intently, like she was seeing me for the first time again. "umm…Valencia?"

"Oh! Yes, ah…" She kneels and scrutinizes each egg, looking for anything that could tell her which one was the dragon egg. Having picked up each one and examining them twice over, she sighs disappointedly and looks up sadly. "All five of these eggs are identical. I can't tell any of them apart. I can't help you any more than that."

"That's perfectly fine!" I tell her quickly. "You've done more than enough for us! At the least we know we have the egg."

"Hmmmmmm…I know!" Twilly chirps suddenly. "Warlic! He's a powerful mage. He can use magic to help you." So this one favor turned into a wild goose chase. Typical, really.

"Would he be awake at this time?"

"I don't really think Warlic even sleeps." Good enough.

"I guess we'll be on our way then," I say, putting the eggs away again. "Thank you for your help Valencia. It was kind of you to lend your time to us." I say, getting up and setting Twilly on my shoulder.

"So polite Ty," She tsks playfully, pinching my cheek. "I'd make fun of you but you're too cute."

"Cute? Me?" I squeak as she releases me. Did I hear her right?

"Funny kid," she teases. "Well, I shouldn't be keeping you. I wish you the best of luck on your journey."

"Thank you," I say, bowing slightly. "But I hardly think this small little excursion counts as a journey."

"Of course," she says quickly. "Now don't be a stranger and come see me again unless…you want me to hunt you down myself. I'm very good at tracking down rarities," she threatens jokingly, winking as Twilly giggles from my shoulder. I hope she was joking.

"I will! You won't need to do that!" I lie. "Well um…bye I guess." I smile awkwardly at her. Like I said. Bad at farewells.

"Take care of yourself." She waves as I head back towards Falconreach with Twilly guiding me. I take a quick look back at her and I realized that her expression had changed. It was as if she was appraising a new discovery, marveling at its novelty and wondering what strange things it could do…Damn it.

… **...**

"Okay Twilly, what did you tell her?" I ask the little fuzzy red furball relaxing on my shoulder. There was no one around so it was the best time to ask him.

"What?" he sounds surprised but I could hear his voice shaking.

"Wait, let me rephrase that. What do you know and how much did you tell Robina and Valencia?" I ask again carefully.

"I-I'm not sure what you're talking about," Twilly replies unevenly.

"Sorry Twilly. I remember your outburst back there that Valencia somehow "conveniently" forgot." I stop in my tracks and turn my head to look him in the eyes. "You're a bad liar. I should know. So tell me, what has my father put you up to?"

"Ty…it's not like that. We don't mean to…" he trails off

"Hmmm? So are you admitting something?"

"Ummm…Twillies promised…Not sure how to say this…We don't mean you harm!"

"Oddly specific but I know that. Or well, I can feel that. But why. Why does it have to be me who gets you the egg?"

"ummmm ummmm ummmmm,"

"Twilly," I say sternly. "I meant what I said back there. If you don't tell me now I won't-" I slap my hands over my mouth, feeling suddenly nauseous. My sight was flashing black and white!

"Ty! Ty!" Twilly squeaks out wildly. "What's happening…urk. Twillies doesn't feel so good." He can feel it too. I stagger a few more steps down the path, feeling more and more like someone was squeezing both my head and chest intending to crush them like a walnut. Is it another one of my episodes? But it's too early! Or maybe…

"Twilly! You have to run I-" It was all I could manage before I stumble and trip onto the ground, feeling the blackness swallow me and…instantly vanish. "What in the world…" I mumble, nausea completely gone. I roll on to my back and stare up into the starry sky.

"Ty? Are you okay?" Twilly asks me, laying no too far away. He rolled off of me when I fell I guess. Like me, he was still too stunned to move. I turn my head to look at him and open my mouth to answer but the words get stuck in my throat. Behind Twilly was a big red tent and a man with really pretty silver hair was looking down at us, extremely perplexed. I stare back and blink twice, not sure what to say. "Warlic! How did you know we needed help?" Twilly exclaims when he notices what's behind him.

"You teleported us here?" I ask feeling suspicious of him as I get back on my feet. I've been doing a lot of that lately. It seems like I've gained an infatuation of the ground as of late.

"…I suppose so," he replies, squeezing his staff slightly. What is that supposed to mean? He thinks he did that?

"Ty, this is Warlic," Twilly motions to the man. Dressed in blue robes embellished with either ornamental or magical gems and holding a wooden staff, he seemed like any other senior mage. There was, however, a familiar heavy aura surrounding him and I was tempted to poke at him to see if it would lash out at me.

"You…it is a pleasure to meet you. I hope we haven't disturbed you." I say, relaxing a bit.

"Interesting," Warlic comments offhandedly. I let it slide. "I am Warlic, the Blue mage. How can I help you…," his eyes dart down to Twilly, who must have silently mouthed something. "Warrior.

"I have hunted down a lost dragon egg for the Lady Celestia," I say as formally as I can, unstrapping my bag. "Unfortunately, there were complications and I ended up with five identical eggs. One of them is the dragon egg we can't tell which."

"I see…A dragon egg is not a matter to be taken lightly. Let us be swift with this most…interesting quest. Please step into the tent and tell me more." He requests, turning to enter the tent. I pick Twilly up in my arms and head in after him.

Stepping inside, I find that the interior is much bigger than the outside. Bookshelves and glowing orbs emitting a soft light lined the stone walls and stone pillars held up the wooding ceiling. A long red carpet stretches down all the way to the other side of the room, though it was more of a very long hall. I couldn't even see the end. It reminded me of home.

"Dimensional magic?" I ask, placing my bag on the nearest table.

"In a sense, yes," Warlic says offering me a chair. "The entrance of the tent acts as a portal to my Mage Tower. We pay a little more for the extra dimensions but we thought that it would be worth the rent."

"We?"

"Yes, me and my roommate, Cysero. He's a decent roommate…mostly because he's gone most of the time."

"It's really…wide," I comment, taking a seat. He sighs and nods in agreement. Twilly jumps out of my arms and on to the table, taking a seat on the edge. As I rummage around for the eggs, Twilly quickly tells Warlic some details about what we or mostly what I had to go through to get the egg. He yawns between sentences. Maybe I overworked him.

"It seems like you've had quite an adventure so far."

"That's a nice way to put it," I reply, quickly regretting my words. I take a side glance at Twilly but he didn't seem to mind my words. "Here, let me get the eggs out." One by one, I gently take each of the eggs out and lay them out on the table to let Warlic study them.

"I am going to need a power spell to dispel the illusion." Warlic says after a few seconds.

"There's an illusion? But I don't fe-see anything, I mean."

"It is a very powerful illusion. All dragon eggs in this realm have a natural magic illusion around them that helps protect them. I suppose you would find it harder to…see, especially with this egg. It is much more powerful than any others that I have come across." He explains, searching my expression. Twilly, still seated on the table, starts to kick his legs nervously. He looked like was dying to say something but just stared down into the ground. "I am going to need a spell powerful enough to counter the dragon magic. This might take a while so do feel free to make yourself at home. You can make a snack if you want. I won't be long." He tells me, motioning to a nearby kitchenette.

"Alright then, Twilly and I will wait for you. We're going to continue our chat, aren't we Twilly." I say, looking back at Twilly who swallowed nervously.

"About that…I am going to need Twilly's help."

"You do? Oh um, of course you do! Sorry about leaving you alone but Warlic needs help," Twilly chirps cheerily, hopping down on to the floor.

"What? Then if he's going, let me help you too." I offer quickly, getting out of my seat

"It's quite alright. You must be very tired from tracking down the egg today. You should rest for a while and besides, I wouldn't want to bore you by making you search for books," Warlic says, gently pushing me back down into the chair.

"But I-"

"Come now Twilly," With that, both of them practically jog down the hall, leaving me still seated at the table with the eggs. Well drat. Now what should I do? There's no way I can interrogate Twilly now. I groan in exasperation and decide to get up and read a book or something. Might as well learn a few more things while I'm here. Maybe I should get a few copies of them for my dear siren too.

Getting up from the chair, I look around for an appealing bookshelf (which all looked the same to me) and one of the thinner books catches my eye. Moving to take the book off of its shelf, I accidently bump into the table and one of the eggs falls on to the ground and breaks because I'm an idiot.

"…Oh Shit," I swear, trying to check if the egg was salvageable. "No no no no. Crap. What do I do? WHAT DO I DO?" The egg shell had broken at the bottom and the egg white was leaking out. It's okay; it's going to be okay. There's only a one in a five chance that this was the dragon egg and a dragon fetus hadn't popped out so maybe I'm lucky again. But what am I going to say to them when they get back? "Just play it off cool. Just tell them it was an accident and wait…he did say I could make a snack, right?"

… **...**

"Ty…What are you doing?"

"Hi Warlic. I was just making a snack. Do you want some?" I ask him, feigning pleasantness. I was having a heart attack at the moment.

"No thank you, I already had my dinner but is that what I think it is?" He asks me slowly like he was talking to someone holding a knife to his neck.

"Well, I didn't want to take any of your food so I decided that it would be a good idea to use some of my things. I was sort of craving breakfast anyway," I explain shakily, scraping some of the egg out of the skillet and on to one of the three plates that I set up. I take out a fork and sample the egg with a trembling hand. I thought it tasted wonderful but it was most likely because I hadn't eaten all day. "You sure have big pans! I looked in your pots cupboard and I saw it and almost screamed. I mean, they're really big!"

"…This may sound sudden, but by any chance do you have a headache? Perhaps some vision problems?"

"Nope! Feel as right as rain!" I answer, faking cheerfulness as I cut out another piece. "Are you sure you don't want some?"

"No, I assure you, I am quite alright…By any chance, does it taste like honey and mackerel?"

"Hmmm? It taste like a normal egg to me."

"Oh thank Lorithia, it's not the dragon egg." He breathes out, relieved.

"You can tell through taste?"

"Yes but I do not recommend doing a taste test on them,"

"Does that mean that you've found your spell?"

"Unfortunately, no. This magic is incredibly strong," he says, leafing through a book that he had brought back. "We will have to summon a creature that feeds on dragon eggs to dispel the illusion for us. The ancient tome for summoning this creature lies high in my tower, behind a barrier that I cannot pass."

"Like a force field?" I ask, taking another bite of the egg. I wish there was some syrup around; I should drown the egg in syrup. That would be nice.

"Not…exactly. The tome is on Cysero's side of the tower," he explains. "You see, his insane experiments and dirty laundry were driving me nuts, so we painted a yellow line separating his half from mine."

"That doesn't sound like a mature solution," I tease.

"Think so? If you had to fight his magical accidents and enchanted laundry, you would think much differently," He sighs. "I suppose I'm going to need to contact him to get the tome. I am sure that he is out at the moment but if I contact him, he will most likely give me permission to get the tome."

"I could go get it for you," I offer. "It'll be faster and he never said anything about guests not being allowed to cross the line, right?"

"In any other circumstance, I would ask you to go but…perhaps fighting his creations would not be good for your health." He explains, careful not to offend.

"What are you talking about? I am absolutely…wait," I reach behind and feel around my back. My hand clasps on to something that had been stuck in my back for probably the past few hours or so and I yank it out. "So this is what's been giving me a back ache," I say, rolling the somewhat bloody vultragon foot in my hand. "It must have broken off the bird and stuck in after the fall," I laugh quietly. Then a thought came to mind. "I should pickle this."

"…Forgive my forwardness but I think you should lie down for a while,"

"No! I'm fine!" I yell, not meaning to be so loud. "I'm so fine right now, I could probably…probably…" I trail off, staring into space for a bit. "Say, where did Twilly go?"

"…He was tired so I sent him home,"

"You're in on this too."

"Excuse me?" Warlic asks, stepping back slightly.

"All of you…that egg. What is it really?"

"It's a dragon egg and we don't want it to fall into the wrong hands." He answers a bit too fast for my liking.

"I'm going to say that's not the whole story. No one ever tells me the whole story. Why is that?" I chomp on another forkful of egg and stab the fork into the yolk after I'm done.

"Ty maybe-"

"I'm not going to suddenly drop this favor, you know. I'd just like to know why. I'm not an idiot, despite popular belief." The yolk was oozing out and there were still pieces of dirt stuck in the albumen. Egg whites I mean.

"Listen Ty it isn't-"

"I am doing you a favor. I like doing favors. But I despise being used," I continue, crossing my arms and leaning on the edge of the kitchenette. "You sent Twilly away so I wouldn't be able to get answers out of him I'm guessing."

"I think you are over-"

"It smells evil."

"What?"

"That," I state, pointing to one of the eggs on the table nearby. "It smells evil."

"But, that's impossible!" He's about to rush off to check the egg but I grab his bare hand before he can. His eyes widen in surprise and he whips his arm away, fear evident in his expression.

"I guess my father did not mention that I wore gloves to keep me from accidently…well you probably know already. Everyone else probably knows by now."

"…Yes," he confesses, checking his hand. "But only a select few. You can trust us, I promise you."

" _Right_. So Twilly could go telling whoever he liked and most likely that would have included all of Falconreach if I didn't stay around him the whole time. So, what did my father say that I would do for you? It probably isn't as simple as just retrieving an egg."

"…Ty?"

"Yes," I half growl, my irritation was growing.

"I…please forgive me for this."

"Huh?" Before I could process what he was doing, he had already tapped his staff on my head. The world went black again and the last thing I felt was the slap of the cold stone floor.


	10. Should've Known By Now

_"…And that should do it. Thanks Blaire."_

_"Of course, Eric. Now if you excuse me, I need to go find Alison."_

_"Is that what her name is now? Wait, is it a "her" this time?"_

_"Yes but do not take my word for it. It's always hard to tell with Alison."_

_"Oh…say, have you heard anything from Ty lately. I haven't heard from her in a week."_

_"She hasn't pestered me for a while now. Usually she'd be barging in on me in the library every night but she has since stopped visiting. I just assumed she was busy with the paperwork and logs. It's much more peaceful without her breathing down my neck but…"_

_"Well, I heard from D that he "sent her on a vacation" a few days ago. You can already tell that he's up to something. I just don't know what it is this time. I'm worried, by now she would've found a way to call us but…"_

_"Why would he…and at a time like this. She is alone I'm guessing and he sent her away before knowing that we were going to be forced to scatter. Where did he send Ty?"_

_"Some new place. We've never been there before. Apparently it's a very young world but there was something special about its conception. It's some place called…"_

…

"Hee…aww cripes Beathan . Get out of my hair already. We need to hurry if we want to…"

My eyes open slowly and the warm sweet smelling forest had faded away into the bookshelf lined walls of Warlic's tower. I blink twice, feeling a bit sad and nostalgic from my dream.

"Drat, I actually fell asleep," I groan, sitting up. Up until now, I had been sleeping on a velvety red couch and somebody had draped a blue blanket over me as well. I stretch my arms and back and feel the bones crack and pop. While it was incredibly rude of me to fall asleep like this, I do feel much better than before. Though there is some sort of weird ache on the side of my head. What happened last night? I don't remember anything.

"Geez, I hope Warlic didn't have to wait for me," I move to get off of the couch and something falls off of my lap and down to the stone floor. Mildly surprised, I bend down to pick the object up. It was an old book. The pages were yellow and dry from age. I must've been reading it and fell asleep while waiting for Warlic and Twilly. But I don't remember doing that.

"Therapeutic Gardening?" I read the title out loud. Since when was I interested in  _gardening?_ …Ah well. I probably decided to read it on a whim or something. "The pictures are pretty nice," I mumble to no one as I flip through the pages absentmindedly.

"I see that you are awake. Good Morning," A familiar voice pulls my attention away from the book.

"Same to you. Sorry about falling asleep, I…am I still dreaming?" I very nearly let the book drop out of my hands but I caught it just in time. What was standing in front of me, looking just slightly peeved, was Warlic. Not just any Warlic but a Warlic that had suddenly turned blond overnight…and had sprouted bunny ears…and cat ears. His robes had also turned a shade of barf green and his eyes looked sort of uneven. "What happened to you?"

"I found the tome that will help us identify the egg. It was regrettably on Cysero's side of the tower and there were certain…demands that I had to go through to get the tome. Honestly, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be," he sighs, rubbing his temples. "This was surprisingly tame of him." I stare at him long and hard before speaking, trying to picture what kind of person would think of something like this. It only takes a few moments before a picture of my father pops into my head, followed by Emesto and perhaps my sister Justine if she was feeling kinky.

"Your roommate sounds like a piece of work,"

"I'm obliged to say that Cysero is possibly  _the_  piece of work but enough about that," he replies. Interestingly, his new ears fold back as he says this. "While we do have the tome, other ingredients are needed if we are to identify the egg," he continues, cracking open the tome. "I will tell you where to get them."

"Er…before you do. Can I ask you where Twilly went?"

"Last night, Twilly was feeling fatigued and asked me to send him back to Lady Celestia. He did not want to wake you but he told me that he would see you at another time," Warlic replies immediately, not looking up from the tome. Drat, he got away. Now there's no way I'm going to get any answers anytime soon and there's no way I can get Warlic, if he's involved, to tell me what's going on.

"Okay…then can I ask something else?" I ask nervously, clasping my hands behind my back. This time he looks up.

"Of course."

"Can I…rub your cat ears?"

"…No,"

"Your bunny ears then?"

"No,"

"Well it was worth a try."

…

" _Yes Eric? Go on."_

_"…John. It's nice to see you…"_

_"Excuse me? Oh! John, good morning. Everything is prepared for our departure."_

_"Blaire. Eric. It is good to see you on this fine morning."_

_"There's a freaking hurricane out there."_

_"Well it is a fine morning somewhere, Eric. Just not here."_

_"…Blaire, weren't you going to find Alison?"_

_"Yes Eric but what were you say-"_

_"I would like to know as well. This is the first time that I heard that our Ty has been sent away. What has that imbecile done now?"_

_"Blaire, go find Alison. She doesn't like to wait, right?"_

_"What? But Eric, I-"_

_"Please."_

…

"Bag of Fire Yarn, Indestructible Litter, Bag of Fish and Bag of Wind Wind-nip…what exactly are we supposed to do with this?" I ask myself as I step outside of the tent. I guess it doesn't really matter as long as I get them and identify the egg.

"Alright, Warlic said that the Wind and Fire caves are north of here so…" I mutter to myself as I take the path heading north to a grey rocky mountain. I walk leisurely down the path until the trees and grass thinned into gravel and I was faced with a wall of stone. The path was split in two and there were swirly grey markings drawn around the path leading left while a tall pedestal holding a levitating fire ball stood to the right. I could see the entrance to the Wind Cave from here…and it was levitating about ten or so meters from the ground above an easily noticeable dark pit. Fire Cave it is then. The Fire Cave wasn't even far from the junction anyway.

I went into a jog this time, heading for the entrance of what I was sure was the Fire Cave. Just as I step in, the heat hits me and I almost jump out from the complete surprise of it. I force myself to take a few more steps in and find that the interior was lit by the warm light coming out of the cracks in the ground. Everything inside was tinted red from the light including the random fountain spewing red something or another.

Like any rational adventurer, I decided to waltz right up to it and plunge my hands into the red liquid. The liquid felt cold through my gloves and, again like any rational and smart adventurer, I decide to drink some. It tasted close to the red potion in my bag I took the half empty bottles out and refill them. Then I plunge my head into the fountain for good measure.

Now drenched and feeling much better, I traveled deeper into the cave. I reach another junction after just a few minutes walking and I automatically pick the path with the gang of fire elementals because it's always the hard way with scavenger hunts like this.

Moving deeper and deeper into the tunnel, I look for anything that resembles fire yarn, which would probably stand out in a place like this. The heat isn't much of a bother after getting used to it but the elementals are a pain. I probably should've asked for more elemental endurance lessons from my sister but how was I supposed to know this was going to happen to me? Solid monsters, I'm good with them. They can breathe fire, hell they can even be on fire and I could take them down easy. I just can't deal with things that  _are_  fire and purposely going for my face. Sure I can take them down but it takes forever and I look like a freak running in circles around them trying to find a way to hit them without turning myself into flambé. It also attracts other monsters in the area (ie. more fire elementals) and is not very effective in closed spaces, like this cave.

Running seems like a pretty good idea.

Rather than face them head on, I start running around like a moron with the elementals on my heels until I spot the fire yarn…which was already in a ready-made bag hiding in the corner of the cave. I won't question it.

A fire ball just nearly misses my head just as hit the ground and swipe the bag. It singes some of my hair and I don't bother retaliating. I just leave as fast as I can. The lucky thing is that the slimes were slow and the others lost interest the moment I evaded them and ran back out of the cave as fast as I could. Leaping out of the entrance, I fall onto my stomach and gulp in cooler and more breathable air.

I never want to fight another fire elemental again. Odds are I will never need to.

So what's next? Maybe finding a way to the wind cave entrance or find the litter or the water…euhg, I'll go find the earth elemental cave. That'll be a lot easier.

… **...**

" _Fine…we will meet in New Meridian."_

_"Hmmm, it seems that you get more and more…influential every day. Tell me, have you been rubbing up to Lyla while I wasn't looking."_

_"You know full well that I would never do anything like that! Now if you excuse me, it's time for me to take my leave."_

_"Slow down now, you didn't tell me where Ty was. I would like to know."_

_"John, let go. Now."_

_"Now you're giving me orders? Tsk Tsk Eric. I'd think you would've known your place by now."_

_"What has gotten into you lately? If you think you're going to get a rise out of me then you're three hundred years late."_

_"Really? Then tell me little brother, what is it going to take?"_

…

The stone head thing was kinda hilarious. I went through the entire cave, which was pretty small by the way, and only fought through a few oversized bugs and earth elementals. Nothing special at all. But that stone head thing…geez. It slid around as fast as it possible could trying to attack me but I kept running circles around the poor thing. I almost didn't have the heart to turn it into dust. Keyword almost.

Getting to the Wind Cave was a bit harder. I had to search quite a bit to find a way the entrance to the floating cave. I found it in the form of portal which was not far from the Earth Elemental Cave. Dealing with the monster inside the cave were a breeze to put it one way. The oversized wasps were easy and so were the wind elementals though I'm actually not sure how you could hurt them without magic…and it still made a weird bumping noise when I slashed at them but that isn't important.

What's important right now is the Water Cave. Right behind the Waterfall. Behind a stupid pool of water. I could see the cave right behind the flowing waterfall and there was solid land, but it's just beyond my reach. Even if I did try to jump through it, I'd still end up in the water.

"Just take it easy. Slip in and wade there. It doesn't look deep at all," I lie to myself. Look down into the water and all I can see is my reflection. I don't look too good. "C'mon stupid! Just get in!" First I try to dip my foot in to see how deep it was. I managed to let the water reach up to my ankle before I jump back. Just doing that made me start to tremble. I try a second approach by sitting down and trying to slide my way in. Try as I might, my legs would not obey me and I end up on my back waving my legs around at the pool. To state the obvious, it looked really silly. Third approach: just jump in you moron. Get it over with and even if you do freak out and start flailing in what might be a waist deep pool, you might just flail over to the entrance and get in. With this in mind, I stand and edge close to the water and take in a deep breathe. Bending my knees, I prepare to jump. I'll count to three.

"Alright…one…two…three… four…five," Alright maybe ten. "six…sev-what if it's actually really deep and I sink to the bottom?" I stop counting and start to pace around at the pool. "Or maybe there's something in there I mean this seems way too easy to get into if you're normal. What it there's something in there waiting for me? I can't fight it if the water keeps me from moving." No. Stop making excuses and dive in already. You've done it before.

"But that was because it was for something really important. Well isn't this important?" I stop pacing and immediately face-palm. "See what this is doing to you Ty," I chastise myself. "It's making you insane."

Suddenly, I hear a quiet cracking sound. I turn to face the source of the noise and then the forest turns eerily silent. Narrowing my eyes, I take a careful step away from the pool…onto a wet patch of grass and slip backwards into the water.

The water swallows me and caught off guard, I gulp down I mouthful of water. I start to flail and look around but all I could see were bubbles and...something was stabbing into my back! Then a weird shape swam into my vision. It was green and…oh dear god it's a tentacle! There really is something in the water! I start flailing my arms harder and kicking my legs around but more and more of the tentacles were surrounding me and I could feel sharp things digging into my back. I'm gonna get eaten! I scream and start losing more air. Grabbing a handful of the green appendages, which felt really slimy, I pull as hard as I can and feel them rip off whatever was attacking me. At the same time, I hit my head in into something hard and I become disoriented, making me breathe in water. Lungs burning, I make one final effort and try to feel my hands around the thing that I hit. Feeling light headed, I squeeze my eyes shut and frantically try to grab on to anything on the thing that I could grab onto and pull myself to the surface, if I was even close to it. It felt like a rock and as my hands travel up, I feel earth and then my hands break the surface and I grab on to the edge on land and launch myself out and on to the wet grass.

I start coughing up the water clutch at my neck as I lie on my side trying get rid of it all. Once that was over, I take in quick breathes and try to calm down. Once I start feeling semi normal again, I roll on to my back and try to relax. That was when I realize that my feet were still in the water and jump up as fast as I can. I only scream a little bit this time.

Now on my feet, soaked completely, I check for any new injuries. Nothing as far as I could tell. Even my back was okay. Then, I saw something wet and green clinging to my boot. Bending down, I reach out and pick the green appendage off…which turned out to be a piece of pondweed. Clasping-Leaf Pondweed to be exact. "You're kidding me…" I look back to the pool of water and the pondweed that I ripped out were floating on the surface as well as a couple of sticks that were probably stuck in the bottom until I dislodged them. I sink back down to the ground and bury my face in my hands and start shaking my head. I'm not even going to try to see how deep that thing was. I don't need to embarrass myself even more.

"No no no no more," I mutter sadly. There's no way I'm going to try again. "Fine then, you've frustrated me to this point. You want a bag of salmon, Warlic. Oh I'll get you your magical salmon alright.

…

_"That's enough, don't you think?"_

_"D! Man, am I glad to see you!"_

_"…We were just talking. I did not mean any harm. It is just a playful squabble."_

_"Ha ha, it looked more like you were going to duel like two bucks fighting over a doe waving a lacy handkerchief on a sweltering evening. And John, don't be so uptight. Shouldn't we all be going now?"_

_"Hmpf, this isn't over little brother. I'll find Ty myself and I am very sure that father will not offer his help."_

_"With that attitude, of course not. You'd have a much better chance finding me making love to a wolverine."_

_"…Farewell then. I wish you the best of luck on your travels. Especially to you Father. You'll need it."_

_"…Now that that's been taken care of, would you mind helping me with something, Eric? And John's gone now so you can laugh."_

_"Oh my gods! Ha, did I actually hear you bring that up? You sure know how to get to him, D. Oh and yeah, sure I'll help you out. What do you need?"_

_"I just need you to accompany me to go meet our dear bowler hat. We're just going to talk over some tea."_

… **...**

"Ty! Where were you? And what happened?"

"Nothing much Ash," I answer quickly, tightening my hold on the sack of fish. Ash had just caught me heading back to the portal I found that connected Falconreach to the place Warlic's tent was. "I was just helping out Twilly and it just got a tiny bit more complicated than I thought it would be, but that's alright," No it wasn't. I went through a lot of embarrassment and confusion. I'm probably going to go through more.

"Are you sure Ty," he asks, walking next to me as I head up the hill to the Guardian Tower. "I mean…you sort of look…tired?" He put it nicely and I appreciated that even if I was soaked, and covered in singe marks. At least the mud washed off. I sniff a little, feeling somewhat cold and Ash looks at me worriedly. "Maybe you should dry off. I could get you a towel from the inn." He offers.

"No, it's okay. Thanks for asking but I'm almost done anyway," I smile to him but he doesn't look convinced so I changed the topic. "So…anything happen while I was gone."

"Yeah actually!" He answers, perking up. "You were right about the inn keeper. You see I talked to some of the other adventurers and they were feeling the same thing so we caught Sabrina…what 's that smell."

"It's probably this," I answer, holding up a sack of fish. "I bought this for Warlic. We need it for things." I explain vaguely. "So you were saying…"

"Huh? Oh right ummm, so last night we caught her talking to something and…long story short. We found out she was a creepy monster and she disappeared into the night," he finishes his story quickly, realizing that we had already reached the portal next to the tower. "We aren't really sure who she…I mean that  _thing_  was talking to but at least she's gone."

"Sounds like there was a lot of excitement that I missed. Tell me the details later or…maybe you want to come along?" I offer. "I think we're almost done anyway."

"Sure!" he says immediately, smiling brightly. "I'd umm yeah there's nothing for me to do right now or- I mean I would love to! Uhh..that sounds about right." Mood brightened considerably, I grab his arm and jump into the portal. He yelps and nearly stumbles but regains his footing as soon as we make it through.

"We should hurry. Warlic's tent isn't that far and the sooner I finish this favor the better." I tell him as we run down the path to the red tent.

"What does Warlic need you to do?"

"You'll see Ash. Actually, I'm curious too," I reply, slowing down to a halt in front of the tent. We both step inside and Ash gapes at the vastness of the interior of the tent. It was adorable.

"Warlic? Are you here," I call for him as I look down the empty hall.

"I assume you've gathered the ingredients," A door a few steps from us opens from the side of the hall and Warlic steps out to greet us. "I see you've brought Ash."

"Ah…Greetings Warlic!" Ash manages to spit out. "I've never been in your house before. It sure is big!" He's obviously nervous.

"Greetings to you as well. Would you mind coming in? I've set up the summoning circle."

"Summoning circle? I thought we were just going to identify the dragon egg," I say as Ash and I enter the room. The room's small and looks a lot less extravagant than the hall outside. The red curtains were still present but there was only one small bookshelf tucked away in a corner and a shelf lining the walls of the room along with miscellaneous jars and pots. The floor was really shiny though. I could see my reflection on it almost as clear as it would be if I was looking at a mirror. And in the middle of it all was the summoning circle with magical glyphs such as something that looked like a dead mouse and what I personally thought was a poorly drawn fish skeleton. Seriously, a fish skeleton is much more complicated than that mess of sticks! It usually takes me hours to draw them out on paper and was that supposed to be a clavicle? Honestly I can't even begi-

"Ty, what are you guys doing?" Ash's question breaks my train of thought and I look back at him blankly, mind still on the drawings.

"Wha…? Sorry, I zoned out there. Yeah so I need to bring back the dragon egg that I lost a while back and I ended up with five…no I mean four identical eggs. We couldn't tell which was the real egg so Warlic asked me to get the ingredients to help identify it. Though this is the first time that a summoning was mentioned." I look to Warlic questioningly as I finish the explanation. Warlic, who was placing the eggs around the circle, catches my look and coughs.

"It seems that I have forgotten to tell you. My apologies. The egg is protected by a powerful illusion; one that will not be broken unless we summon the creature that feasts on dragon eggs to identify it for us. That is why I asked you to retrieve them," he explains quickly. "With that said, if you could kindly place the ingredients in the center of the circle…"

"Alright," I nod and place all four of the bags in the circle. Hopefully, this thing won't mind the non-magical salmon. Maybe we'll get a low maintenance monster.

"Then we may begin," I quickly get out of the circle and unsheathe my sword.

"Ash, do you want to step back?"

"What? Me? No. Of course not!" he answers shakily, unsheathing is sword as well.

"I am going to pull this creature from its world to ours," Warlic explains, raising his hand to start the spell. "Remember, this creature is very dangerous and it feasts on dragon eggs," Electricity begins to spark around his hands and I can feel a slight breeze in the air growing stronger with each passing second. "The creature will sniff each egg and being to dispell dragon illusion once it finds the real one. Once it finds the dragon egg, you must step in and banish it back to its plane or else it will devour the egg. Do you understand?"

"Yes" Ash and I both answer, his answer sounding just a teensy bit more like a squeak. Actually, a lot more like a squeak.

"We're ready!" I reassure him. Warlic nods and blue light starts to emanate from his hand. Lightning begins to strike down on the circle and the breeze, now a full blown gale, rushes to the center of the circle, almost pulling me off of my feet. Clay pots are literally flying through the air, one flying by dangerously close to my head while Ash had to duck to dodge one (great room to summon the creature by the way), and the curtains look like they're about to get ripped off of the walls. Suddenly, a great ripping sound resonates in the room and the wind starts moving even faster. Rays of intensely bright blue light materialize and shoot down into the center of the summoning circle and the room shakes from the impacts. The silhouette of the creature appears in the middle of the chaos and one last bright flash makes us both shield our eyes. All of the sudden, the wind and flashing stops and I cautiously lower my hands take a look at this terrifying creature.

"Mew." It stares back at me with its huge yellow eyes and my heart melts into a puddle. The creature, which was a small grey wittle fluffy kitten, tips its head to the side looking a bit confuddled.

"It's so adorable," I sigh, struggling to keep myself from snuggling it to death.

"I don't know Ty," Ash says. "It may look cute but it's probably doing it to trick…Awwww, it's scratching its ear." I could hear the hearts coming out of his voice.

"Do not be fooled by the Doomkitten's appearance. It only assumes this form to-"

"Nyanyan, c'mon little guy. Let me give you a hug!"

"Just…please let it just pick the egg." Reluctantly, we both step back and let the little darling sniff around. After a few seconds of pawing around, it makes its way to the first egg, eyeing it carefully before moving on to the second egg which the Doomkitten also deems to be just a vultragon egg. Then, its ears perk up and its pupils narrow. The kitten carefully slinks over to the third, almost like it was stalking the egg. The kitten circles the egg first, sniffing it carefully before folding back its ears and making a low growl.

"There!" Warlic shouts. "It's chosen the egg and dispelling the illusion. Quickly, banish it before it eats the egg."

"Sorry little fella," I apologize, approaching him. "I'm going to have to interrupt your lunch…" The kitten goes rigid when it senses that I'm approaching and it looks back, hisses and springs onto my face in an attempt to devour it. Unprepared, I drop my sword and try to rip the little bastard off.

"You motherf-"

"Ty! There is a child present!" Warlic reprimands me from the side.

"Hey!"

Getting a firm grip on the furball's scruff, I throw the thing down on the ground, feeling blood seeping out of the scratches on my face. "You're going to get it now," I growl, taking off a glove. Before I could act, however, the cat darts between my legs and I move to protect the egg instead.

"Don't worry Ty, I'll get the Doomkitten!" Ash says, raising his sword to slash down at the charging kitten. Just as he about to land a hit, Ash is knocked into a wall by a swinging cage of abominations that came out of freaking nowhere. With Ash out of the way, it turns its back to me and tips its head to the side. This time it seems like it's mocking me.

"Give me your best shot you little fiend!" I taunt, grabbing the dragon egg. The kitten smiles, actually smiles, at me and conjures spiked magical spears.

"Ty!" I hear Ash shout my name before I turn to shield the egg. I feel them pierce into my back and I fall forward, still holding the egg. Lying motionless, the kitten pads over to me and checks to see if I was still conscious. "Bad move kitten," I smile and my ungloved hand shoots out and grabs the Doomkitten around the neck. The thing struggles but it soon starts to lose its energy and I start to feel a million times better. Going limp, the Doomkitten mewls pitifully but I don't loosen my hold. "That won't work anymore!" I hope it looks like I'm strangling it.

Just when I think it's about to pass out, the kitten's eyes widen and it chomps down on my hand. Feeling its fangs sink into my skin, I slam in on the ground and it lets go. It scurries back, wobbling slightly. The kitten looks very tired and was wincing from the pain but it didn't look like it was about to go down anytime soon. Still kneeling and holding the egg, I wait for the Doomkitten to try to charge me again. Wait…but if it does that thing with the cage then…the egg and I are screwed.

The realization must have shown clearly on my face because the kitten smiles again and takes a few steps closer to me. I look over to my sword which was only a few feet away. I could probably move fast enough to dodge that attack, grab my sword and banish the Doomkitten but not while holding the egg. But…I'm just going to have to do it anyway and hope for the best.

The Doomkitten had followed my gaze and was about to attack again. Getting a secure hold on the egg I spring to my feet and jump towards my sword. The Doomkitten utters a terrifying guttural roar and I know I won't make it without being smashed into a wall like Ash. That took ahold of my mind as I grab my sword, trying not to fall over when the egg almost slips out of my grip. Then I head I splash and a strangled wail.

Looking over to where the Doomkitten was, I let out a sigh of relief. No concussions for me today. While the Doomkitten had been busy with me, Ash had snuck behind it poured a canteen full of water over the cat which had frozen it completely. The Doomkitten makes one last despaired me before a dark portal opens beneath it, sucking it back to whichever plane it came from.

"Cat's don't usually like water too much," Ash says a-matter-of-factly, right before he falls back on to the ground as stiff as a board.

"Both of you, well done," Warlic congratulates us. Wait just a moment…What was Warlic doing the entire time? You know what? It doesn't even matter.

"Hey Ash? Are you alright?" I ask as I kneel beside him. I can't believe Ash had to bail me out.

"I think I'm good. If I can't take getting hit by a swinging demon cage then how can I be a kni-a kni…Just let me close my eyes for a bit."

"Okay then…So do I just need to return this to Twilly? After that I'll be done right?" I ask Warlic, who was staring at the floor where the Doomkitten was.

"Right…about that," Warlic says, eyes darting to the floor for a split second before looking back up to me. Something doesn't seem right.

"Warlic…what's going on?"

"Is something wrong?" Ash mumbles from the ground.

"Nothing, just take a nap for a bit, okay?" I tell him before getting to my feet. "What's everyone been hiding? Did my father put you up to this?"

"…In a sense…" Oh boy, here it comes. What did he do now? "Please do not be alarmed when I tell you this." I nod curtly but I couldn't promise anything. "We knew you wouldn't accept it if we told you outright so we decided to let you take time to get familiar with this place before you made your decision."

"Does "we" include everyone I met this past week or so?"

"Ah…not everyone,"

"But many of them or they did when Twilly told them," Warlic only nodded slowly at my statement. "Well? Go on. What was this entire excursion about?" I snap.

"…The reason you were sent here was because-" And then Warlic was a tree. I blinked for one second and suddenly he was a tree and I was outside in the middle of the night, lying on the ground, staring up at said tree. I tried blinking and rubbing my eyes but Warlic wouldn't stop being a tree.

"Ty!" A familiar voice chirps. "What are you doing on the ground?"

"Twilly? What's going on?"

"C'mon Ty!" he says, tugging at a loose strand of hair. "You're at Sunbreeze Cove. Lady Celestia is here. Your Daddy is here too."

"What?" I sit bolt upright and start looking around. When I get my hands on him…

"Ty dear, would you like to have a seat?" a voice calls in a sing-songy manner. I look behind me and there he is. Sitting at an ornamental garden table near a gushing intricately designed fountain by candle light. A really nice house was standing nearby as well and there was even a beach too! Combined with the serene night and surrounding forest, it was very lovely. But Father was there. And that just ruins everything.

"You!" Standing up quickly, which makes Twilly jump back, I stride over to the smug bastard and grab him by the collar. "What the hell is going on!" I demand, shaking him back on forth. The smile was still plastered on his face.

"Ty! Ty! Please stop!" Twilly was tugging on my leg trying to get me to stop.

"Now now Ty. This is no way to treat your beloved dad."

"Beloved my ass. What are you doing this time? Debts again? Boredom? Well I'll tell you now Father, I'm not going to put up with this shit aga-"

"Is there something wrong?" Surprised by the soft voice, I look up to find Lady Celestia holding a tray of tea and a stand of small cakes. She was no longer wearing the hood and she should keep it that way. Lady Celestia was both an ethereal and a spring beauty. She has long silky silver hair and dark expressive eyes that even the most powerful Fey would be jealous of.

"Umm…I…I…it's nothing," I sigh, letting go of my Father's collar and sitting back in a chair.

"Don't fret milady. It was just a friendly little family squabble. Nothing to spend your precious worries over," My Father dismisses. This somehow appeases Lady Celestia and she set's the tray on the table and pulls out a seat herself. Twilly jumps up to sit on her lap. Once they settle down, I swallow and begin to ask my questions.

"Father, why did you-"

"Ty would you like cream and sugar in your tea?" Lady Celestia asks, smiling pleasantly at me as she pours the cups.

"I think you should ask if she would like some tea with her cream and sugar," My Father jokes, readjusting his cravat.

"Father! Oh…um ehem. It's okay. I'm fine without any," Without asking, my father reaches over and adds four spoons of sugar, cream and stirs, all without taking his eyes off of me.

"This is your favourite blend after all," he smiles and I can hear Twilly snigger.

"Thank you," I say brusquely, taking a sip. Heh, it really was my favourite. Setting down the tea cup, I prepare to ask again but this time Twilly butts in.

"Try the cake Ty! Your daddy says the berries are your favourite!" Lady Celestia places a plate in front of me before I could protest.

"Oh um….thank you. And yes…blueberries are my favourite." I say quietly, feeling heat rise in my cheeks.

"Before you ask anything important, wouldn't it be more polite to wait for the other guests?" My Father says, motioning to three empty chairs.

"But I…this is important. You sent me here out of the blue with hardly an explanation-"

"Dear, you really are the fire hydrant in a family of fountains."

"That's mean!" Twilly interrupts, making me crack a smile.

"And it isn't mean to begin without waiting for your favourite older brother?" A smooth voice whines from behind me. Before I could do anything, strong but thin arms hug me from behind and I feel someone resting their head on mine. "Really Ty. You're so selfish sometimes. I want to know what's going on too."

"Eric! What are you doing here?" I whirl around in my seat and hug Eric back. I think I almost flipped the table in my excitement. "Oh no, did he drag you into this too?"

"Nope." He answers as we let each other go. "But now I'm a partner in crime," he smiles, taking a seat opposite me.

` "What are you talking about?"

"You'll know in a moment, I promise. But we should wait for your new friends."

"Who?"

"The mage and the cute one. D couldn't get a hold of the hood or the treasure hunter." Eric answers, brushing his pale strawberry blond hair back. "Man, am I tired. It was really hard getting here and then we had to wait around while D summoned you."

"Is that why it somehow went from middle of the afternoon to late at night?"

"You mean early. It's around one in the morning right now."

"Holy sh-um..oh dear." I say, correcting my language.

"They should be coming any moment now." My father says, looking up at the crescent moon, contemplating. Right at that moment, a ghost of a wince passes on my father's face and I hear someone scream followed by the sound of a splash. All of us at the table look over to the fountain and Ash stumbles out, drenched and holding a large green bottle.

"Where am I? Why am I in a fountain? What am I holding? How come it's suddenly night?"

"Hi Ash," I wave to him from the table. "It's actually morning."

"Really? But it was just…just…" he trails off.

"Oh Ash, how thoughtful of you," Lady Celestia leaves her seat with Twilly climbing up on her shoulder and goes to Ash. She gently takes the bottle from his hand and starts reading the label. "Very nice. Why don't you have a seat? You must be famished by now." She says, leaving for her home. "I'll be right back. I'm just going to put this away." The moment she opens the door and enters her home, Ash finally remembers that he can move his arms and legs.

"Good evening-I mean morning Lady Celestia. It is an honor to-"

"Ash, get over here already!"

"Okay." He says timidly, wandering over.

"You're going to get a terrible chill if you stay soaked like that," My father says before snapping his fingers and Ash is suddenly dry again. Ash was probably still in a daze because he just sat down without making a comment.

"What about Warlic? You also pulled him here right?" Answering my question was a loud booming sound coming from a large tree. "That must be him then," I comment, taking another sip of tea. "Your aim is off."

"Who are you guys?" Ash asks, looking more alert.

"This is my Father," I introduce him and he smiles warmly to Ash.

"Really? But he looks so young," Ash was right. Comparing his weird dandelion blond hair to my black and his golden eyes to my ice blue, there was no way we were related…or maybe if you have the right genes but I'm not a genealogist so whatever. Also…wait a moment. Ash said that the crazy bastard looks too young to be my Father? Hmmm, I don't know what to say to that but yeah. He does look a tad young to be my Father.

"He's not my actual father. He just makes me call him "Father," there's nothing else to it."

"That hurts Ty. I don't make you call me Father. I want you to call me dad. Remember when I used to-"

"Don't even."

"Oh…cool," Ash says, biting down on a forkful of cake. I think he's still in a daze. He takes a sip of tea absentmindedly before noticing Eric. "And you are…?"

"Hi there Ash. My name's Eric and I'm Ty's boyfriend." He lies.

"Nice to meet you," He says before taking another sip. When the words finally reach his brain, he chokes on the drink and starts to cough. "Really?" He says, after regaining his breathe.

"Is there a problem?" I ask.

"…No, nothing." He says, sounding just a teensy bit dejected. Both Eric and I exchange knowing looks. "Just asking…I don't mean to be rude but how old are you?" Ash asks out of the blue.

"I turned five hundred and seventy three a few months ago." There was a brief moment of silence at the table for a bit before everyone burst into laughter.

"Really?"

"Why isn't Warlic here yet?" I ask out loud.

"I'm here," Warlic says, materializing in the last empty chair. His eyes were closed in irritation. "It would've been nice if you gave us some warning." He says, addressing my Father.

"I transported you here safely didn't I?"

"You teleported me into the inside of a tree," So I guess that was what made the noise.

"…I should practice my aim more then." Father says, gazing off towards the horizon. Eric doesn't say anything but his hand shakes just a tiny bit.

"I see that everyone is here," Lady Celestia steps out of her home with Twilly and rejoins the table. "Now, it seems that there are some questions that you would like answers to." Looking around the table, with my favourite tea, cake, one of my easy going brothers, cute new friend and other friend, I can see that this is an attempt to calm me down. Unfortunately, it's working."

"What am I doing here? What am I doing here besides training?" Ash looks around the table, confused and Warlic coughs into his hand. A few seconds pass before Lady Celestia takes a breathe and an-

"We would like you to take care of the dragon," Eric says.

"What?" I ask. "That's what you want me to do?"

"Is that…why yes," Lady Celestia agrees, smiling somewhat shakily. "You see I…needed someone to take care of the newborn dragon to…"

"Help strengthen the relationship between humans and dragons," Warlic continues, cutting in abruptly .

"You see I owed my friend, the Lady, a favor and I was thinking that both you and the dragon could help each other learn because you honestly need it." My Father adds on.

"We kept it a secret because we knew that you aren't really the maternal type and would be also against having to do work in another fantasy medieval sink so we decided to…" Eric trails off.

"Let you experience Lore first hand before you said no," Lady Celestia finishes. "Now we are going to ask you formally. Will you please take care of the newborn dragon when it hatches?" She asks, taking my hand in both of hers.

"I…I…what will John say?" I ask, trying to settle down. "I'll be getting into a lot of trouble, I know I will and I'll get attached to people here."

"Who cares what John says," Eric scowls. "No trouble is no fun. And that stick in the mud wouldn't know fun if it shot him in the face. He would deserve it anyway. So just do whatever but…you're going to do it regardless of what John or I say. Am I right?" I look back to Lady Celestia, who was still holding my hand, and gulp. This is going to be a terrible idea but…what's the harm in babysitting?

"Okay, I'll do it." A collective sigh is made by the table and Twilly, who had been holding his mouth shut with his tiny little paws relaxes and jumps over to me for a hug.

"That means you will stay!" He says happily.

"I guess so." I'm not exactly unhappy about it. "But was that really what it was all about? You guys were awfully worried over something like that. Is there more to it?"

"Yes," Eric says tensely, looking off towards the beach like he was searching for danger. This time everyone turns to stare at Eric. The Lady tightens her hold on my hand suddenly and Warlic visibly tenses. Father's expression made no change but I could tell it was something serious.

Bewildered, I try to question him but a sudden stiff breeze surprises all of us and blows out the candles on the table, only leaving the moon and stars to give us dim light.


	11. Questionable

"Sorry guys," Ash says, scratching the back of his head. "I guess I sneezed and blew out the candles. I didn't cover in time…sorry." That's really gross.

"…That's really gross," Eric actually says out loud, making Ash sink into his seat. "Anyway, we found one of  _them_  running around in one of the dimensions that we usually frequent. Right after that spotting, he appeared again in a different one and caught sight of Blaire."

"Is she okay?" I ask, halfway jumping out of my seat and almost let the egg fall out of my lap.

"Yes. He disappeared after that but it still spooked her pretty badly. We think that they've caught on to our trail again so we're going to have to scatter and lay low for a bit."

"But we've been so careful and it hasn't even been a month since last time…" I trail off, slowly sitting back down. "Is it okay to talk about this in front of them?" I whisper to my Father.

"If it wasn't safe, we wouldn't have said this much, wouldn't we?"

"We promise you that no one outside of this group know about your situation." Warlic says to me. The look he had said that he really meant every word.

"I don't. Who are we talking about? Where do you guys come from exactly?" Ash asks.

"We're just talking about some really bad neighbors and we don't exactly come from one place. You can say we come from everyplace. Including here." Eric says, snapping his fingers. The candles were instantly relit. Ash was about to demand a more direct answer but Eric looks over to him and smiles. Even in the dark, I could see his pupils constrict. "I think that's enough of an answer." Ash nods, even though I'm sure that he had no intention of doing so, and goes back to being quiet and dazed.

"That's not really nice, Eric," I say, not very seriously. He shrugs in reply.

"Back to what we were saying…I really don't want to leave you here alone but it's not safe for a lot of us to be in one place," Eric continues. "The good thing is that this dimension is somewhat out of the way so I highly doubt that you'll run into them."

"But if you do…well, I'll leave that up to you," Sometimes, maybe once in a blue moon, I like what comes out of my Father's mouth.

"I'll be fine…I'm kind of glad really," I say, looking down to the egg still in my lap. Twilly had sort of nodded off a while back, leaning against the egg. "It sucks that we have to scatter again but you had me scared for a while. I thought you guys were setting me up to do something crazy again." Lady Celestia's smile falters just a tiny bit. I suppose she feels sort of bad not telling me from the beginning. "But if you just wanted me to take care of the baby dragon, I wouldn't have said no," At that, Warlic takes a sip, more like a gulp, of tea apparently forgetting that Ash had sneezed on everything on the table. Why is everyone so uptight over a little thing like this? "I'm going to be sticking around for a bit so why not?"

"I'm relieved that you think that way," Eric sighs, staring up at the moon. "But, can I ask you to do something else?"

"Sure."

"Put on the rest of the armor."

"How about no," I answer immediately. "Anything else?"

"Please," Eric begs. "It would put our minds to rest if we knew that you were wearing it."

"You know that I hate having my movement restricted. It bothers me. Besides, I've handled everything just fine without wearing the entire set."

"Let's see," Father muses, tapping his chin. "Multiple slashes, burns, blunt trauma, claw and talon marks oh and I liked what you did with that dead vultragon by the way. Very sociopathic; would scare anyone off. You have to dodge like a madwoman which also wastes time, clouds your judgment and hurts your poor ego. Wait a moment…those last ones don't really have anything to do with the armor problem." Father finishes his list making me glower. Warlic's soft chuckle just made it worse.

"I do think that it would be a good idea if you raised your defenses a bit more," Lady Celestia suggests gently.

"We got it specially made for you. Justine worked really hard on it to make it as unrestricting as possible. I even got Blaire to enchant it." Eric added.

"It would be such a shame for your sisters' work to be put aside," The Lady continues. Great, now they're guilting me.

"I…fine," I give in, noticing the concerned look on both my brother's and the Lady's faces. Warlic kept neutral while my Father's smile shrank a tiny bit. Ash was just completely out of it, slumped back in his chair and staring into space. Eric really overdid it. "I'll put it on…but I'm not going to like it." Immediately, Eric went back to being serenely cheerful again and the corners of my Father's smile tugs back up. It was a familiar situation, like the time they convinced me that perhaps framing a man for murder wasn't a very nice way of telling someone I wasn't interested. Always turning insignificant situations into a major shitstorm and really, that guy was relentless. Though comparing that little incident really shouldn't be compared to this one but it makes me just as annoyed.

"What are we talking about now?" Ash asked groggily, coming back to reality.

"Nothing you need to worry your dear head about," Eric dismisses. "But it seems that our time here is coming to a close. Sorry about this Ty but we're going to have to leave soon." Eric apologizes. "You should also get some sleep too. You  _are_  still growing right?" Eric says, winking.

"Yeah…maybe," I follow along almost accidently sipping tea. "When will we see each other again?"

"Sooner rather than later. I'll find a way for us to contact each other," He answers, rising out of his chair. Father did the same and went over to give me a hug.

"Usually, a good father would say "no boys" but I know there's no stopping you so make sure those boys and girls are pretty," He jokes as I hug him back with the arm that wasn't cradling the egg and Twilly.

"I second that," Eric says, joining the group hug. "Be safe, alright?"

"Same goes for you," I say as we release each other.

"We'll let Lady Celestia take over now. She  _is_  the dragon expert after all." Eric says as Lady Celestia also leaves her seat.

"Before you leave, might we discuss a few details into this arrangement?"

"Of course my Lady," My Father bows as the Lady nods.

"Thank you. While we do that…Twilly?"

"…hmmmm?" Twilly wakes and rubs his eyes. "Oopsies. Fell asleep."

"Would you please show Ty to the Dragon Egg Cave. My friends and I need to talk for a moment."

"Yes! Let's go, Ty!" Twilly says, jumping off of my lap.

"I will help escort them," Warlic says, leaving his seat. "The egg will be safe once we place it there. Ash, would you like to join us as well?"

"Huh? Me?" Ash asks, pointing to himself. "Sure! But is it okay? It sounds like it's something secret and…but you can trust me! It's just that it sounds important and-"

"While it is something that should be kept a secret for now, I see nothing wrong with bringing you," Warlic says, making Ash brighten considerably. "Now, let us head towards the portal," he continues, motioning towards the gateway by the shore."

"Alright guys. I'll see you later," I say, standing up with the egg still in my arms. Eric ruffles my hair and he leans down kisses my cheek. "I'll stay away from trouble," I say, noticing Ash watching and blushing. He quickly looks away when he realizes that I can see him and tries to play it off.

"Then make some trouble for me. And if John finds out then…he finds out. Just tell him to suck it," Eric says, smiling. I return the smile before turning to my Father.

"You…next time you want me to do something, be straightforward," I one arm hug him again and he also kisses my cheek. He's much shorter than Eric so he doesn't have to lean down. He was barely taller than me so I guess it kind of makes sense that people would say that he looked way too young to be my father.

"No guarantees. Now shoo, don't keep your friends waiting," I look back at their pleasant smiles and try to find anything out of the ordinary but there was nothing that looked distressing.

"Soon, okay?" They both nod and I hesitate a bit before leaving to join Warlic, Ash and Twilly.

"I have set the portal to take us directly to the cave. Have you said your goodbyes?" Warlic asks me. I glance back to my family one last time and Eric waves me off mouthing "go on already!" while Father just grins and raises a hand in farewell.

"Yes," I answer, feeling still a bit uneasy. Warlic, with Twilly sitting on his shoulder, goes in first. Ripples appear as he steps through.

"Are you okay?" Ash asks me. Am I really getting too obvious?

"Nothing's wrong," I say, taking my eyes off of Eric and my Father. There's something else…something I can't really explain. I just feel bad but...I just don't know. I step through the gateway without another word, feeling Ash walking in behind me. I had to force myself to take my mind elsewhere. I'll dig into this later. I'll be hearing from them in perhaps a week tops and it's probably just me misjudging the situation again. Everything is probably fine.

Everything is fine.

…

_"Was that necessary?"_

_"Yes, Lady Celestia?"_

_"Lying…lying doesn't sit well with me."_

_"In this case, it is very necessary. For now, we will keep the prophecy a secret. Any mention of destiny or fate will make Ty immediately drop everything and run for the hills."_

_"She will find out eventually. We can't keep this a secret forever and we shouldn't."_

_"Keeping it a secret will let Ty be able to immerse herself in this world, grow attached to it and care for it. By the time she finds out, she'll be in too deep to leave and she hates leaving things unfinished. It's her nature."_

_"And you are fine with this. Lying to your daughter."_

_"She'll understand. And this is for the greater good, isn't it?"_

_"…Yes. And what of your health? Shouldn't that be a concern as well? You kept that a secret from her as well."_

_"We will deal with that at another time. Now if you excuse us, we will take our leave. I do not wish to further endanger you or Ty. May I ask you to watch over her while I'm gone?"_

_"Of course...Thank you."_

_"I should be the one thanking you. We, especially Ty, need this. I hope this will help settle our other…concerns. Farewell my Lady. I hope that we can meet again under less dire circumstances. Eric, we will take our leave."_

_"Yes…"_

…

"Where is this place exactly?" I ask Warlic as we travel down the dark tunnel. The outside of the cave had the usual forest scenery I've been traveling through up till now but there was an unnatural silence hanging around. It wasn't bad. In fact it was calming and the air here feels light. I can't really describe it any more than that but there must be magic at work here. Well obviously. We're going to keep a dragon egg here after all.

The cave itself wasn't very dark even if it was in the middle of the night and though it was a somewhat small cave, it didn't have that claustrophobic feeling. Not even a tiny bit. The floor of the cave was pretty flat and clean too, as far as caves go.

"This cave isn't very far from Falconreach but it would be best if you could just use a portal to get here. I will give you the directions later but try not to come here on foot. It would be much safer for the egg," Warlic answers and Twilly nods in agreement. Fair enough.

"Is that…?" Ash points to something up ahead. At the end of the cave was a statue of a dragon with its claws and tail wrapped around a large empty space and its wings were also raised around that space, as if to protect it. As we approavh it, I notice that the head was turned down towards the ground and that the eyes were shut tight. The roof of the cave was opened above the statue, letting moonlight shine down on it.

Suddenly, I feel compelled to step forward. As gently as I could, I placed the egg in the arms of the statue. I was about to say that the egg didn't fit into the statue but then the ground begins to rumble and the statue's eyes snap open. Its claws and tail wrap tightly around the egg, so tightly that I was afraid the egg would break. The statue raises its head and stares directly at me, making me stumble back a bit. Its eyes flash, illuminating the cave with small bursts of black and white light. And then everything went still. I feel frozen and constricted, like I was waiting for something to pop out. I didn't dare breathe. Seconds tick by and slowly the tightness of the moment loosens and the egg…it began to shift colors. The red faded away into green, blue and then yellow. The speckles disappear and then reappear black then fade away again. Grey swirls move across the shell before being replaced with runes of some sort and the egg just kept changing and changing.

"You can breathe now," Warlic says. Ash lets out puff of air and I do the same as Twilly claps enthusiastically, applauding the show.

"Wow…what was that?" Ash asks before I could.

"The egg has sensed that it is safe and has dropped its illusion though it seems that the egg can't decide on its form."

"When will it hatch?" I ask, still mesmerized by the shifting hues.

"Not for a while. For now, you should watch over the egg and consult Lady Celestia for knowledge about the dragon. Let us go back to Falconreach, you must be tired,"

"Okay," I reluctantly tear my eyes away from the egg and follow Warlic and Ash out of the cave.

"This is really cool, Ty!" Ash says. "And hey, I can show you around tomorrow and you can get settled. You are staying for a while longer, right?"

"Yeah…just awhile longer,"

…

_"Ty…who's he?"_

_"Him? Just a nobody. Let's take the long way around, Beathan."_

_"He's looking at us…"_

_"Drat um…hide in my pocket. I'll deal with this. Cover your ears too."_

… **...**

"Hey asshole…douchebagville is that way…huh?" Blinking twice, I find myself lying on the bed at the inn again, pointing up at the ceiling. Sighing, I let my arm drop off the side if the bed. Soft sunlight was pouring through the window again and I could hear villagers talking outside.

Groaning, I roll over to get more sleep but find myself lying right next to a snoozing Ash. He was breathing with his mouth open.

"What…?"

"Errrg…give me a moment, mom. I'll get up," he mutters, starting to wake. Sitting upright, he stretches his arms and yawns. "Where am I?" he asks, sleepily before taking a scan of the room.

"Morning, Ash," I greet him.

"Hey, Ty." He replies, giving me a passing glance. "By any chance do you know what time it iiiiieeeeeaaaaaahhhhhh!" he starts screaming all of a sudden, moving to the edge of the bed. "What are you doing here! What am I doing here! W-WHERE IS YOUR SHIRT? WHERE'S MY SHIRT?"

"I probably took mine off when I went to bed. I have no idea what you did with your shirt though. Nice stomach by the way. Hmmmm, I remember saying goodbye to Warlic and Twilly but nothing after that," I say, sitting up. I guess we came to the inn and Ash decided to crash here since it was really late but that's just an assumption. "Would you mind grabbing my pants? They're on the chair with your shirt."

"W-wait…you aren't wearing pants? Am I wearing pants?" What's going on!"

"…Fine, I'll get them," I sigh, throwing off the covers.

"Ah…ah…I'm not going to look," he squeaks, covering his beet-red face.

"You don't have to. I'm wearing clothes anyway," I say, getting up and stretching. "Your fly's down." Immediately, his eyes widen and his hands fly down to his pants. The sudden movement makes him fall of the edge of the bed and he screams a bit like a child. He lands with a thump and then the door flies open.

"I heard screaming! What's going on?" The same woman who came in a few days ago demands before taking in the scene before her. I guess it sort of looks bad. "Ash…what do you think you're doing?"

"I…this…no no no no," Ash stutters, trying to get to his feet."

"What  _are_  we doing? I don't remember anything." I say out loud by accident, trying to recall what happened.

"That's it, Ash! You have a lot of explaining to do!" The woman yells, walking in and grabbing a handful of Ash's hair, trying to pull him up.

"It's okay. Nothing happened. He was just sleeping here, he didn't do anything," I explain before noticing a piece of paper on top of my carelessly thrown shirt on the window sill "Wait a sec…" I say, walking over to it.

" _Ty dear, it was going to be a long walk to the inn so I dimensionally teleported you there. I hope there weren't any hiccups."_

"Sorry lady, this isn't Ash's fault. It's my Father's,"

"What? This was your father's fault? How does that even work?" the woman asks, dropping Ash who quicly dives behind the bed.

"It wasn't Ash's fault and that'll be the only thing that makes sense. Explaining will confuse all of us and get me irritated with Father again," I groan, tugging on my shirt and overcoat. It smelled like lavender soap. In fact, I smell like lavender soap. "Hey, Ash. Could you check to see if you smell like flowers?"

"…Why?" he asks, leaning out of his hiding place.

"I just need to see if it happened to both of us."

"…Yeah actually. I do smell like flowers."

"And now that settles it," I say, moving to get my trousers. "Now I don't want to know what happened last night.

"Mommy, what are they doing?" a small voice asks from outside of the room. It was a little girl pointing at us through the open door. Her mother quickly ran to her quickly, gives us a pointed look, and sweeps her daughter away. Ash groaned and sank behind the bed. "That was interesting," I comment, pulling my pants up.

"You…you look familiar," the woman says as I throw Ash's shirt over to him who snatches it out of the air and pulls it on in a rush.

"I do?"

"Yeah…I know you! You're the one that choked out that skeleton the other day!" She says, moving up to me. "I'm the Guardian. Remember me?" I was hoping that she would forget about me and the "choking" thing.

"Oh, uh yeah. I remember you too."

"My name's Tanisha. I come down to the inn every other day to give pointers to new adventurers coming in," she introduces herself as we shake hands.

"I'm Ty and I'm new here. I'll be hanging around for a while I guess. I was a bit busy for the past few days and Ash was going to show me around today,"

"I suppose that sounds alright…" Tanisha says, still suspicious.

"I swear, I am not doing anything wrong. I mean it. Please believe me," Ash pleads, coming out from his hiding spot.

"Everything's fine!" I assure the guardian. "This kind of thing happens from time to time for me…well not this specific situation but strange situations," I amend my statement when she raises her brow. Okay, this is becoming unsalvageable. "Now, let's head out Ash." I quickly fasten my sheathed sword on to my belt and get my bag as well. "It's about time I learn about the way things work around here," I say with fake cheerfulness. "Let's go go go, Ash! Let me get your stuff for you," Grabbing his sword and pieces of his armor off of the floor, I rush out the door and down the hall.

"Hey! Wait for me!" Ash yells, running out of the room and catching up to me. We both bound down the stairs and head straight for the door of the inn.

"Good morning. Did you enjoy your night?" Ash and I screech to the stop next to the front desk. There was a new person behind the desk and wow, she's a definite upgrade from dead eyes. Quickly, I stuff Ash's things into his hands.

"Yes we did." I answer, casually leaning against the desk. "I see that the inn has been taken up by a much lovelier pair of hands. Can I ask how much I owe and who do I owe it to?" I ask, winking. The new inn keeper, a pretty and slim blond with bright green eyes, tips her head to the side a bit and giggles, amused. She sort of looked like my sister but her eyes were more slanted and her hair was golden, not a pale blond so it didn't put me off.

"My name is Serenity. I just got ownership of the inn a few days ago after the incident with Sabrina," She says pleasantly. "It was terrible, that whole ordeal. She made quite a mess of a place but I've managed to spruce it up a bit." She must have worked hard. It was so much cleaner than it was a few days ago. She even decorated and warmed up the inn with new plants, rugs and chairs. Someone was even reading in a chair by the unlit fireplace. "Hmmm…did you check in last night? I didn't see you two come in. May I have your name? Maybe I wrote it down in the check-in list and forgot." Serenity says, opening the book on the counter.

"This is Ty, Serenity," Ash says, fastening the last piece of his armor on to his shoulder. "We probably aren't in the book. We sorta snuck in late," Ash laughs nervously. "Sorry about that."

"I'll pay extra if it troubled you," I offer, opening my bag.

"No no, it's no problem. I was just making sure that I wasn't getting forgetful. I'm not even that old yet," she jokes. "One night here is thirty gold." Ash reaches into his pant pockets and I fish around my bag looking for the coin pocket in a race to pay the bill. A shout coming from up the stairs surprises us. It was Tanisha and I really don't want to tell her the details of how we got in there. I'll make up a story later.

"…There we go!" I exclaim, taking out two handfuls of gold coins out and quickly placing them on the counter. There were much more than thirty. "Keep them all. We're sort of in a rush."

"Eh? Ty, let me put in my share," Ash says, still rifling through his pockets.

"No, you don't need to. You sort of got forced into staying with me so I got this. Don't worry about it," I assure him, grabbing his arm again and taking him towards the door. "Thank you for your services!" I call back to Serenity, who seems a bit confused now. "I'll be sure to come back!" One more wink and I pull Ash through the door after me.

"So, Ash. Where to first?" I ask him as he stumbles forward. It was actually still pretty early in the morning. There were only a few people walking around outside. Only a few of them look like adventurers.

"Uhhh, what was that back there?" he says, regaining his balance.

"Me getting us out of an awkward situation and flirting with a pretty girl," I state, looking around the town.

"Wait a sec…what about Eric?"

"What about Eric?"

"…Isn't he your…you know?" Ash starts gesturing strangely. "He's your…person you do stuff with…and I…uhhh" he blushes, clasping his hands behind his back."

"My what?...Oh, I see. Nope, he isn't" I say once I realize what he was trying to say.

"He isn't? But I asked you and you-"

"I didn't say yes," I smile slyly.

"You didn't? But…oh. I guess not. Heheh" he forces another nervous laugh but he looks a lot more relaxed.

"So, where to?" I ask, clapping my hands together.

"...We could go to the Guardian Tower first or if you're going to go out adventuring again, you could go to the potion master here or the blacksmith to check on your stuff," he suggest after a brief pause. "But maybe you should put on your armor first."

"Eh…I'm fine now," I shrug. "I'm not going to go out today. Maybe just take a break y'know? How about we head over to the blacksmith? Look, Twilly's over there too," Twilly was back on the stump again and playing with the little girl I saw earlier. "I need to ask him about when I should visit Lady Celestia anyway. And it's closer too."

"Alright. I think you'll like our blacksmith Yulgar. He and Konnan do good work here," Ash says as we walk towards the blacksmith house. "I think you might have seen Konnan before. He's the guy with the blond hair,"

"I remember. Did you clear everything up with him?"

"Ha…"he sighs. "Yeah I guess. But if Tanisha tells someone again then it'll be a lot harder."

"Twilly! Twilly!" The little girl jumps up and down, pointing at the sky. "Look! Look! It's a shooting star!"

"What?" I look up to the sky. "But it's morning." There really was something in the sky. It even had a tail like a comet. But it was no star.

"Ty…it's coming closer," Ash says, backing up. He was right. Whatever it was…the trail that it was leaving behind in the sky…it was black smoke. "It's getting faster." Ash gulps loudly. "W-what is it?"

"Get everyone out of here. Now!" I tell him, eyes trained on the thing. A meteor maybe? Whatever it was, it was going to hit the ground soon and of all places, it was going to land right here. In the middle of town. Between the smithy and the inn. No way is this a coincidence.

"Yay! It's going to land!" The little girl yells gleefully. Twilly was desperately tugging at her arm to get her somewhere safe.

"Everyone run! Something's going to hit us!" Ash yells, running down the trail heading east while I did. In a matter of seconds, everyone started to shout and point at the fireball at the sky. I was about to run down the west road to help warn everyone but then I notice Twilly having trouble with the girl.

"We have to go!" I hear Twilly pleading the little girl but she wasn't budging.

"I wanna see it!" She says, looking back down to Twilly.

"Dang it," Freaking kids; it's hard not to get angry at her. "You have to get out of here!" I yell to them as I sprint towards them. Twilly, who was now frantic and looking up at the sky, notices me and screams.

"Ty! NO!" Just as the warning leaves his mouth, it smashes down right in front of me. It barely misses my outstretched arm. The force of the impact throws me backwards and earth goes flying everywhere. I hit the ground on my side and roll to a stop. Groaning, I get on my stomach and try to push myself up. The temperature had risen and it was intense. I can barely open my eyes let alone breathe. With some difficulty, I gulp in a breath of scalding air and slowly open an eye to see what in the world almost killed me.

A gigantic ball of molten earth was sticking out of the crater it made, towering above me. Lava was spurting out of the ball and little droplets were falling on to the grass, burning right through them. Then it begins to shake and move. First a thick glowing arm shoots out of a ball, followed by another. I wasn't going to wait for it to finish transforming so I force myself to get on my feet and back away from it but curiosity keeps me from running.

The head pops out next. The monster had horns and an almost demonic face. The head slowly rises up with the neck and torso coming after. They were made almost completely from stone, save for the parts that were molten lava. I could see more of the lava moving under its rock hard skin. The rest of it molded into four gravelly legs and it steps out of the crater, creating tremors. I could feel its fiery breathe from meters away.

There was screaming and yelling in the background but at the least they were farther away. I could only hope that the little girl decided that she didn't like the "star" anymore and ran away with Twilly…cause there's no way I'm gonna run around to check. The Guardian Tower was close by; they can handle this.

The molten monster took another step forward, glowing eyes staring into me, and I took that as a cue to get away. I can't fight that; especially without my armor though I still would have ran away if I had it on.

I start to back away a tiny bit faster, not wanting to make it attack because of a sudden movement. There was no one else around to help if that thing throws a fireball at me or something. The good thing was that it seemed slow. Once I get far enough away from it, I can bolt out of here.

Just as I think that I'm far enough to sprint away, the door to the inn opens up right next to me. Both Tanisha and Serenity look out of the door and freeze once they see it.

"Don't," I whisper to Tanisha when I see that she's about to step out. She didn't have her weapon on her for some reason. "Close the door," Tanisha wasn't going to listen but Serenity tugs her back. The monster takes more steps towards us, letting the lava ooze out of its foot. The thing was moving faster but it didn't seem interested in them.

Tanisha's mouth goes into a straight line but she nods and begins to close the door.

"Ah-aaAAAAAAH!" The scream stops Tanisha and I begin to panic. The monster twists its entire torso around to look at the source of the scream. Oh crap, it's that stupid girl! I can see her from here. And she's still with Twilly. Instead of running away like a smart kid, she was probably too scared to run and was sitting behind the stump that Twilly usually sat on, backed up against the smithy and hugging Twilly to her. She couldn't stop herself from screaming out and Twilly couldn't stop her either.

I can't let that thing hurt Twilly.

"Tanisha, no!" Serenity tries to stop her but Tanisha steps out and shouts at the monster to get its attention. The monster took no notice and it raises both of its arms. Before I could scream at the little girl to run, the monster sprays a jet of lava at the stump. The stump melts immediately into a mass of flame and the girl shrieks and starts crying. Unsatisfied, the monster moves closer and I grab Tanisha's arm to keep her from charging it.

"Stop! You can't fight that thing without a weapon!" Without looking at me, she tries to shake me off.

"Let me go!" She demands, looking back to me. "I have to save her!"

"It's going to kill you!"

"And you're going to let them die?"

"Yo-you can't!"

"Why?" she demands. What should I do? That thing is going to kill Twilly and I can't let that happen but I can't stop it like this. Tanisha can't even distract it. The monster's going to attack again! My hands were tingling and I was sweating like crazy. I have to…

"You look like you're going to collapse. You can't take down a monster if your that pale," I lie, tugging off my free hand's glove with my teeth.

"What are you talking about? This is no time to-" My bare hand darts out and my palm touches her cheek.

"You feel cold," Immediately, her eyes dilate and she falls into my arms. My lungs start to tighten and burn. My head begins to pound and I could hear something scratching in the back of my mind.

_Dear?_

"Serenity, she needs help. Would you-would you please take her inside?" I struggle to say. The dots were reappearing and I was feeling like I was being torn in half. "Hurry please!" I didn't mean to shout or sound desperate but it got Serenity to get her off of me fast.

_Are you afraid?_

"What's wrong?" She asks me with Tanisha now in her arms. I could hardly hear her through the thought piercing ringing in my head.

_Let me help you._

"GO! JUST GO!" I yell at her, struggling to stay in control. I could feel tears in the corner of my eyes and everything's blurry and hurts and I can't stop shaking. Through the blurriness, I can see the shape that was Serenity run out of sight and I try to concentrate on the monster. "Th-the girl…Twilly," I cough out roughly.

_I understand dear. Sleep now. I will kill the wolves._

I let go. Let myself fall into a void of confusion and darkness. The ringing was deafening and my entire body was about to explode. But I could feel something else. Heat, air and the feel of blade slicing through softness at my fingertips. I could hear screaming that could have been me or the girl or maybe Twilly. I can feel it vaguely but it was so hard to hold on. I feel like something was crushing me but if I don't stay concious and keep the voice at bay then I might I might I might-

_Quiet now. Sleep._

…

"…h…wa…up…Ty. Are you…"

I'm holding a skull in my hands. What is a skull doing here? What am I supposed to be doing here?

"Ty?" I look up and find that I'm kneeling on top of a small black mound of smoking rock. My sword was sticking out of a bulb of stone in front of me. On closer inspection…it's the monster! The horns had melted off but the face, though slightly distorted, was still there. Was this…?

"Hey," Someone kneels down next to me and puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Ash? Twilly?" I look at them, still sort of dazed. "What happened? I was just…" Suddenly remembering what I had just done, I quickly look around.

I'm surrounded. Villagers, a group of guardians and other adventurers were standing around me. All of them look terrified.

"You," A familiar voice says severely. Turning my head, I look up to see Robina…with an arrow pointed at me.

"Necromacer, Scram," She orders. Necromancer! Oh no she-

"Not even a thank you?" A gravelly and scratchy voice asks. Robina shakes her head vehemently and I feel someone tapping my lower back. "Hey you," The voice says. It was the blue furball! "I'll get you back soon." He growls before disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Ty?" Ash says. "You might want to see this." I turn back to him and find that a crack had formed on the head of what is probably the corpse of the monster. I could see something inside it. I grab the hilt of the sword and let the head crumble. A piece of parchment was left in the pile. Carefully, I take the piece out and read.

_FRIDAY! FRIDAY! FRIDAY! Come one, come all to see Falconreach BURNED TO THE GROUND! Sponsored by the pyromancer, XAN._


	12. Why Bother?

"Thank you! Thank you!" Someone starts to cry as they hug my arm tightly. It was that little girl. She was sobbing all over me and started to nuzzle the side of my head. Though I was aiming on helping Twilly, I guess I saved that girl in the process.

"Ah…it's no problem at all," I tell her, hugging her back lightly. The people surrounding us were still staring and it was getting nerve wracking.

"Mommy told me that you looked like bad news but I didn't think that! No Way!" She told me, shaking her little blond head.

"Honey!" A woman and a man, that guy from a few days ago, squeeze through the crowd.

"Mommy!" She cries, letting go of me and running towards her parents…or maybe parent and brother. I'm not entirely sure.

"Miss, I can't thank you enough!" The woman says, scooping up her daughter. I quickly get to my feet and try to blurt out an "It was what anyone would do" but my vision clouds and I feel myself stumble forward.

"Easy there!" Robina says, catching me mid stumble. "How about we get you somewhere you can rest. You must feel exhausted," I am. And I really want to get out of here as fast as I can. Robina pulls my arm around her neck and helps me walk towards the inn with Ash and Twilly following. The crowd parts so we can make it through.

"Wait please," I say when we were about to pass the group of Guardians. "Are you in charge?" I ask the one standing in the front. He nods curtly and I promptly hand him the crumpled up piece of paper in my hand. He takes it and scans the writing briefly before looking up at me.

"Thank you for defending Falconreach when everyone was caught off guard," He says respectfully. "The way you fought…I've never seen anything like it," Oh gods, here it comes.

"Hey," Robina cuts in. "How about you lay off. Isn't it obvious that she's tired?"

"My apologies," he says, bowing before turning to the guardians and other adventurers.

As Robina helps lead me away, I quietly thank her while the head guardian shouts out his commands.

Friday was tomorrow. They better get started.

…

**"** _Ash!" Twilly screams, running towards the bewildered youth. A little girl follows closely behind and crashes into Ash. She clings on to him and cries softly._

_"What's going on? Where's T-." He looks over the two small figures and his jaw drops open. It was Ty fighting that monster! But it didn't seem like Ty at all. She was moving so fast that the monster couldn't keep up. That monster was trying very hard to hit her but she dodges them so easily. It was as if she was leisurely dancing circles around it. For a split second, he caught sight of her eyes and it made him shudder. Ice blue, pupils narrowed into slits and filled with disgust. It was inhuman._

_"Ash, we have to go!" Twilly cries, looking back at the fight. Most of the villagers had already fled to safety and the other adventurers and guardians were nowhere to be seen. Where were they? "If we don't find something undead soon-"A loud blast cut him off and they all duck for cover._

_"Ash!" Another voice yells from the inn. "Over here!" Serenity was waving at them from the door._

_"Serenity, could you please take care of her?" pushing the little girl into Serenity's arms._

_"Of course but we need to move! We're too close to that…that thing!"_

_"It's okay. I think Ty is leading it away," he says, looking over his shoulder. Both the monster and Ty were heading out of town towards the east. The monster was roaring angrily, trying to shoot Ty with a blast of lava with its remaining arm._

_"If we don't get something undead soon, the monster will be the least of our worries," Twilly whispers to Ash, now on his shoulder. A blue flash goes off from the sparing monsters and the beast cries out in pain. "Hurry!"_

_"Sorry, Serenity but we gotta go!" Ash apologizes and takes off before stopping in the middle of town. "Wait…Where are we going?"_

_"Zorbak!" Twilly says suddenly. Twillies saw him in Surewood Forest this when Twillies went to visit Robina! We need to find him!" Despite his doubts about Zorbak still being there, Ash didn't hesitate. He runs as fast as his legs can carry him towards Surewood Forest, passing Ty and the intruder. Ash could have sworn he saw Ty glance at him, disdain still present._

_He sprints out of town and into Surewood Forest and ignored the burning in his legs. He wasn't sure what was going on or what Ty would do if they didn't find something undead but Twilly was never as serious as he was now and Ty... That thing back there wasn't Ty._

_"Hurry, Ash! Hurry!" Twilly cries. "That monster won't keep it busy for long!"_

_"How are we going to find him?" Ash asks, desperately looking for any sign of the blue moglin Surewood Forest was big and why would Zorbak even decide to stick around? Things were starting to look hopeless and whatever that thing that wasn't Ty was, it was not on their side._

_Ash, remembering the eyes, felt a stab of fear in his chest and stumbles. Falling flat on the trail, he hears Twilly squeak as he hits the ground._

_"Ash? Twilly? What are you guys doing here?" Startled, they both look up from the ground and instantly, relief floods their senses. It was Robina, sitting on a crate by the creak like always. Hanging behind her was the sneevil, out cold, as well as a new addition._

_"Robina, is that Zorbak?" Ash asks as he stands up._

_"Of course you fool!" Zorbak snaps, shaking his paw at them as he hangs upside down._

_"I found this little rat sniffing around my loot. He's pretty slow though," Robina explains, smirking. "How are you doing up there Zorby?" Zorbak grimaces and turns his hanging body around in reply._

_"Robina, you are a lifesaver!" Ash says, almost dumbfounded at how lucky they were._

_"I am?" Robina asks. "What's going on?"_

_"Robina it's…" Twilly begins, looking over to Ash nervously. "Remember what I said about Ty?" At that, Robina abruptly stands, wide eyed. "We need to hurry!"_

_"…Hey, Zorbak." Robina says._

_"Meh. What do you want?" Zorbak barks, back still turned to them._

_"I'll let you down but only if you summon a skeleton for us."_

_"And if I refuse?" He asks with a smile, swiveling around. "I want a better deal and it seems like you need to come up with one fast." He smirks._

_"Maybe an arrow shoved down your throat might change your mind," Robina threatens, panic thinly veiled._

_"Ummm, what else do you want?" Ash asks. "Besides getting down of course."_

_"…Meh, I'm not sure. None of you have anything worthwhile at all. Too bad I guess." Zorbak smirks. "But who's Ty? A new loser?"_

_"I think you've seen her before. Weren't you there when she crossed the bridge into Falconreach?" Twilly asks. "You told Twillies that you were there."_

_"Wait…you mean that psycho? She needs help? Like I'm going to." Zorbak quips._

_"Well actually…" Ash begins. "I'm not sure what's going on. Ty is sort of freaking out or something and it's going well now but soon she doesn't seem like her…" Ash trails off._

_"She's having a mental breakdown? This I gotta see." Zorbak says, rubbing his paws together._

_"Only if you summon a skeleton for us, otherwise I will actually go through with my threat." Robina warns and Zorbak cringes slightly._

_"Meh, fine," Zorbak says, giving in. "I wasn't going to get anything good from you fools anyway. Just cut me down." At his words, Robina shoots an arrow at the rope, severing it and letting Zorbak fall and bounce off a box._

_"Ouch!" He says, rubbing his backside. Before he could get a complaint out, Robina picks him up by the scruff and the group sprints back to Falconreach._

_They came back just in time to see the head getting torn off._

… **...**

"Ash, what are you thinking about?"

"Huh? Nothing really. Just some things," Ash answers from my bedside, sounding drowsy. Robina was by the window, staring out of it with her hands resting on her bow like she was watching out for something. Ash had been pretty quiet since he and Robina helped me into the room. He was staring at a spot on the wall and looked distant. Twilly was resting on my stomach and I think I dozed off for a few minutes. I still feel really tired and I might need to gorge myself on food soon. My stomach's aching really badly and so is everything else actually. "Hey, how long was I out?"

"A few hours. Maybe four." Robina answers curtly. Damn. And I still don't feel okay.

At the least Twilly picked up my gloves for me.

"Oh Crap!" I shout, suddenly sitting up and making Twilly roll off of my stomach. "Tanisha! What happened to her? She…collapsed when I was about to go fight that monster."

"While you were sleeping, Reens came by here with a healer," Ash says, motioning to the open door. People are pretty laid back about privacy around here. "She's the potion master around here. She just left Tanisha's room. Said that Tanisha was just exhausted. They weren't sure how though. Funny, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with before. Heh." He says and I'm not sure if he was accusing me or not. I look over to Twilly apologetically and lift him back on to my lap. He climbs up my arm and whispers into my ear.

"Twillies didn't say anything but…Ash is just a bit tired." I smile down at him still feeling a bit lethargic and now the pain in my head feels a bit worse. I sneak a glance at Ash, who still looks distant.

"Man, you guys sure get a lot of action around here," I laugh, trying to lift the mood. "One war after another but…"

"It feels different," Robina cuts in. "I'm not sure but…something just doesn't feel right about this one."

"Yeah…" Both Ash and I breathe out. We both look at each other the moment the words came out of our mouth but Ash wasn't really looking directly at me. He was avoiding my eyes. Come to think of it, Robina was sort of uptight again…I get it. We all fall into another stretch of silence again and now I really want to get out of here.

"Well then," I begin. "I think I'll go downstairs and grab something to eat. I feel famished." I swing my legs off of the bed and on to the floor. The bed squeaks and Robina turns suddenly to face me while Ash jumps up, surprised by my sudden movement. They don't say anything but by looking from Robina's guarded expression to Ash's wide eyes…I don't say it but I feel sort of hurt. I guess it showed a tiny bit, not sure if it was my face or body language and either way I can't believe I'm slipping up in the masking department, cause Ash apologizes for no reason. The inside of my cheek is raw and it hurts to bite it.

"Sorry…" He says quietly, scratching the back of his head. Nervous habit I guess. "But are you sure you're okay?" No.

"Yeah, I can make it on my own. I got Twilly with me too," I say, cradling Twilly in my arms who I can tell is worried. "I'll be right back." I lie as I rush out the door, down the hall and down the stairs. I think some food and some air will do me good. Then I can figure out how to explain myself…or just get the hell out of here.

"You don't need to wait for me, okay?"

… **...**

_**BAM** _

"Oof," I puff out as I bump into someone's back. Before I fall back and land on the stairs, a calloused hand grabs my arm. It was Konnan I think. His family was with him and so was Serenity. All of them were holding luggage. "Uh, thanks Konnan. It is Konnan, right?" I ask as he pulls me back on my feet.

"As a matter of fact, yes it is. And you ran off before I could properly thank you. I don't even know your name," he says warmly.

"…I'm Ty and don't mention it," I say.

"Hiya Konnan! No scratches or boo boos on anyone?" Twilly asks cheerily.

"None that I can see," Konnan answers. The little girl darts around him and wraps her arms around my waist in a tight hug.

"You were so cool back there!" she exclaims, beaming up at me. "Are you going to fight in the war too?"

"...Maybe…I guess. But where are you guys heading off to?" I ask, looking over to their bags.

"I'm taking them back home. The war that's coming up is…" he trails off, pensive. "It isn't safe for them to stay."

"But I want to say here with you!" The little girl cries, running back to hug Konnan's waist.

"You aren't going with them?"

"I'm needed here at the forge and I have to…meet with a friend of mine," he explains, eyes darting away for a second. Strange.

"I see," I say, examining his stance. He seems nervous but probably because of worry. "I'll let you go on your way then. Have a safe trip."

"I'll be seeing you soon," Konnan says, reaching out. We share a firm handshake and the lady walks up and hugs me.

"Thank you again, Miss Ty," She releases and the family pick up they're bags and head out the door. The little girl looks back and waves at the three of us before she leaves and I really couldn't help but smile.

"Hope to see you again," Serenity calls after them. It was just me and Serenity now, standing by the stairs. It was pretty quiet in the inn. Most of the guests must have vacated to head to somewhere a bit safer for the time being and the adventurers must be out preparing for the coming attack. It was pretty peaceful in here. A big contrast to what must be happening outside.

Of course my stomach decides to break that peace by rumbling obnoxiously.

"Would you like something to eat?" Serenity asks, smile tugging on her lips. Twilly was giggling in my arms. Embarrassed, I smile and nod. Food would be good right about now. "Go ahead and find a seat. I'll fix something up."

There were some tables and chairs near the fireplace and by the wall. I pick one near a window and take a seat. There was set of utensils and a small blue vase on the table but it was missing the flowers.

"Are you okay, Ty?" Twilly asks me as he hops on to the table.

"Who? Me? Of course I'm fine. No one suspects anything really wrong so I'm great," I say, though even I know that I sound glum. Twilly scrunches up his face and paws at his chin in thought.

"You're a hero, Ty!" He chirps all of a sudden.

"A hero?" I ask before I realize what he's referring to. "No, I didn't think about what I was doing and it was just because it was you." That girl was just collateral and I can't say I wouldn't have left her there if you were safe somewhere else.

"But you saved us! That's what heroes do."

"I guess…" I sigh, resting my head in my hands.

"You are," Serenity says from behind me and my knee hits the bottom of the table. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sneak up on you." She apologizes as I wince and rub my knee.

"Nope… I should've heard you coming," I say, waving it off. Serenity places two plates in front of me and I completely forget the pain.

"I forgot to ask you for what you wanted so I just got you what I could whip up," What she whipped up in a really short amount of time was a stack of hot cakes with syrup and butter on one plate and generous helpings of sausages, bacon and scrambled eggs in the other. "Everyone missed breakfast though. All of them ran for safety or to the guardian tower. I have a lot lying around so help yourself and don't be shy about asking for more."

"Thank you!" I start digging in and Twilly helps himself to some of the hot cakes. Serenity sits herself down across from me and rests her hands on the table.

"So, are you going to join everyone else at the guardian tower later?" She asks as I shovel a forkful of eggs into my mouth. I pause for a moment and stab my fork into a sausage. Twilly stops burying himself in the hot cakes to listen to my answer.

"Do you think it'll be okay?" I venture. "I don't really want to be the center of attention because of…what I did."

"Of course it's fine!" Both Serenity and Twilly assure me.

"You seemed like a pretty charming young lady a while back. What happened to that charming lady?" Serenity jokes.

"Heh…she feels tired right now and feels nervous about what everyone expects of her after her little outburst," I sigh. "They probably expect me to trample the enemy but that was a panic button and now I can't touch it for a while…unless I want to explode." Serenity mouths an "oh" and looks out the window.

"If you explain it that way, I'm sure everyone will be fine with it," But everyone will know who I am.

I was about to say more but the door flies open again. Konnan and the rest of his family file back in, along with some others. None of them look liked they changed their minds and decided to stay.

"What are you doing back here? I thought you wanted to take everyone home."

"The portal isn't working! No one can get through!" he scowls, heading over to our table with his family.

"Why?"

"No one knows," Konnan explains. "Maybe you should go take a look. Everyone's there," he says, approaching the table. The others were moving around the inn and they all seem restless but rightfully so. Without that portal, we all might be trapped here unless they flee back to Oaklore Keep. And even if they tried, they would need escorts to take them through the woods. I bet the bandits are still there as well as the angry bear.

"Twillies thinks Ty should go see." Twilly suggests, after swallowing another mouthful. "If the portal's broken, Ty can't go to see the-"Twilly quickly catches himself and covers his mouth just before he mentions the dragon egg or Lady Celestia.

"…Alright," I concede. "Just give me a moment to finish." I quickly stuff in the rest of the food in about twenty seconds, close to my record, and sit up. I've probably disgusted the entire room except for a little boy standing with his mother nearby. He was clapping. "Thanks for the food Serenity. You can put this on my tab."

"Wow um…" she swallows, astounded by how fast I downed the meal. "That's okay, I was treating you anyway."

"Really? You're very kind," I compliment as I get out of my chair and place Twilly back on my shoulder. "I'll be seeing you."

"Ty can eat fast!" Twilly exclaims.

"Yeah, I've had practice," I smile, a bit embarrassed but a little proud too. "But would you mind telling Ash and Robina that I left. But maybe wait a few minutes after I leave."

"You don't want them to come along?" Twilly asks, concerned.

"It's not that I don't like their company. I just want to be alone for a bit." And I want to avoid uncomfortable questions as long as I can. I think Twilly might have understood and nods but doesn't say ask anything else. He's perceptive for a magical sugary woodland creature.

"I'm coming with you," Konnan says before he turns to his family. "There will probably be people to escort you to Oaklore soon. Till then, I think it's safer if you stay at the inn."

"But-"The lady shushes the little girl before she could get a word out and she droops her head sadly and balls her tiny hands into fists.

"Let's go," Konnan says as he opens the door.

…

"We were wondering when you were going to show up," a guardian says as Konnan and I approach the group of adventurers huddling around the archway. One of them was poking around the portal with a stick. A sharp cracking sound rings through the air and the stick gets repelled into another adventurer's head.

"Are you talking to me?" I ask. Exchanging a glance with Konnan. He gives me a "isn't it obvious" face.

"I guess you're here to see the portal. Something's blocking it with magic and now no one can get out of town unless they travel west."

"Sounds like someone was toying around with it."

"I'll say," The guardian says. Taking a better look at him, I realize that he was the guardian that I gave that letter to earlier today. "So it looks like you'll be joining after all. I was worried you wouldn't show." He says, addressing me.

"…Do you know anything about our opponent?" I ask, changing the subject.

"I am not very familiar with this "Xan" but to state the obvious, it seems like he has a penchant for fire," The guardian says. "I'm Eli by the way. And Tanisha told me that your name is Ty."

"It's nice to meet you but…does anyone else know my name?" I ask as casually as I can.

"By now the whole town knows who saved our butts. It's strange though; Tanisha told me that you weren't shy."

"Well this is just a bit much for me…anyway. Do you know why Xan is going to attack Falconreach?" I ask, looking up at the Guardian Tower. It was pretty okay as far as towers go. There was a statue of a hawk at the top, spreading its wings as if it was getting ready to take off.

"Judging by the message on that monster, he's probably the type of person who'd collect burnt baby skeletons and mount them on his wall just because." Jeez, this guy's kinda dark.

"I'm sure there's a reason," Konnan mumbles under his breath.

"Did you say something Konnan?" Eli asks. There wasn't any accusation in his voice. He really didn't hear what Konnan said. Konnan shakes his head, bouncing back to his usual self…But what was that?

"Anyway, I'm glad you're here. Yulgar is helping with the prep in the armory. I think he's looking for you Konnan. And you, Ty. Another seasoned warrior in the war room would be a great help."

"Seasoned warrior? I-"

"Come now," Eli says, walking towards the tower and leaving us standing there. "I'm sure some mages will come by to fix the portal." He walks pretty fast.

"Are we going?" Konnan asks.

"I guess we should…" I say, following after Eli. A hand slaps lightly on to my shoulder and it makes me jump.

"Relax will you? You're making me more nervous than I already am," Konnan smiles a little before he walks ahead. He's right. Get a grip, Ty. Just be natural. No one's out to kill you yet.

… **...**

The Guardian Tower is…I feel bad saying this but it seems pretty bare. Compared to the buildings of Oaklore keep, it seems that this tower was scrapped together pretty quickly. At the moment, I was leaning on the wall at the back of the small war room. Konnan had run off to the armory in search of Yulgar.

It was pretty stuffy in here. The adventurers were almost forced to stand shoulder to shoulder in this room. That and the fact that we were in the middle of summer in a windowless room made me want to bust a hole in the wall to breathe non sweat smelling air. This was doing nothing for the ache in my head or limbs either.

"Reens, do we have enough potions to go around?" Eli asks, looking over to a young blue haired lady.

"We still have a fair amount left over from the last war. I think we can manage. I can make more from the reagents I have stored up if we really need them.

"Sounds good. Okay then…" he starts, turning to the rest of the room. "How much do we know about Xan? Anyone know him or know why he would attack us?"

"It looks like he likes fire!" I guy on the other side of the room throws in. Someone else yells at him to shut up.

"I know a bit about Xan," A green clad mage says. "I hear he's a pyromancer and a very powerful one at that. I also heard that he has some sort of grudge against the blue mage."

"You mean Warlic? Then why is he attacking us instead of Warlic? What does he even have against Warlic or us anyway?" Eli asks and the mage shrugs.

Someone has a grudge against Warlic? He doesn't seem the type to purposefully antagonize someone so maybe he made a mistake and this guy is blowing it out of proportion. Or maybe this guy was jealous of him. Or childhood rival turned sociopath just wants to beat Warlic up for making him live in his shadow. Or maybe Warlic had a jerkass phase and once set the guy on fire and now the guy has an obsession with it and killing Warlic. The last one seems like a bit of a stretch though. Even from just knowing Warlic for a few days, I can't imagine Warlic being a bully.

"People say he's insane. Perhaps he is attacking for fun?"

"If that's the case then all we need to do is show him that you don't mess with us without getting floored! Am I right guys?" A warrior shouts. The room bursts into approving applause and it takes Eli a few seconds to quiet them down.

"We shouldn't be celebrating yet. He's going to show up on our doorstep tomorrow. We don't have a lot of time to get prepared."

"Hey, we beat Sepulcher's army with hardly a scratch. Some nobody whatevermancer isn't going to take us down," Someone scoffs. Most of the people in the room seem to agree.

"Nevertheless, we have to be on our guard. Xan is going to bring his minions in, who all are probably fire related, and I'm sure everyone here knows basic logic and that water and ice is strong against fire. The thing is, the monster that just attacked was something I have never seen before. Has anyone else seen something like it?" No one responded. "There are probably more where that came from and we have to prepare for a variety of other fire beasts so how are we going to know what to expect when the time comes to put out these monsters?"

The entire room turned to face the person who was standing behind me…which was a wall. Crap.

"So…what do you want to know about?" I ask nervously. How am I supposed to know about them? When  _that_  happens, I can't remember a thing. Well I guess I have to bullshit or maybe…

"I can tell you what I saw but if you still have the remains of that creature, I could examine it for you." I offer, walking up to the table. "Back at home, I was trained to investigate and record information on animals, plants and everything in between. I'm sure I could figure out a few things more for you by dissecting the remains."

"Nerd!" Someone yells from the back of the room. Another voice tells him to shut up.

"I could even tell you about the magic that controlled that monster," I continue. Maybe doing something mundane can let me rest up.

"Good, so we're covered in that area. The remains are being kept outside beside the tower. I'll take you there later." Eli says to me. "Do we have any news from towns to the East?" He asks, turning to another guardian standing by the table.

"We just sent them the messages today. No one from over there has sent us any forewarning so we can assume that they haven't started to move yet." She explains. "Then again, we have no idea where they're going to come from."

"What if they all rain from the sky like the dead one?" Someone asks out loud.

"Then we'll just have to prepare for that possibility," Eli sighs. "Strategists, stay in this room and discuss further plans. I need one of you to send a message to Warlic. Ask him what he knows of Xan. Guardians, start preparing and I want a group of you to escort the villagers who wish to go to Oaklore. And you adventurers, though I am not in charge of you, it would be a help if you could assist the other officers in any way that is needed. Dismissed!" He orders and everyone in the room starts to spill out. "You may follow me." Eli says, beckoning me to the door.

…

"There's something off about this…" I muse out loud as I roll a piece of that monster's charred remains in my hand. The guardians had moved the remains of the beast, that they now referred to as Bassault, on the side of the path on a tarp out in the sunlight. After about two hours or so, I had cut open parts of the remains, explained how the creature attacked and now, I was squatting by the severed arm of the Bassault crushing bits of it in my fingers. The remains still radiated heat and combined with the hot day, it made me sweat like a pig.

"What do you mean?" Eli asks, poking one of the monsters' severed arms with his foot.

"Well I'm not used to impromptu examinations so I might be mistaken but…Xan might be having some help.

"There's more than one person attacking us?" Eli coughs out in surprise. He left his foot on the arm for too long and his boot began to smoke. Yelping in pain, he falls back on the ground and kicks his boot off and starts clutching his foot.

"Yeah, I can feel and see some traces of magic being used but there are two different signatures," Eli, who was still wincing, gives me a confused look. "One of my sisters is a summoner and a powerful mage. She taught me how to feel and look for magical residue that's left behind when it's used. Part of that was learning that every mage uses magic differently. They leave behind something like a fingerprint of themselves when they use magic. I'm not sure how to explain it but you can see it in the physical evidence, like this magically conjured monster here, and feel it radiating from the area it was used. In this case, the physical evidence is more abundant than the "ethereal" evidence," I explain, getting up and pouring some of the potion I had on to Eli's foot.

"Thanks," he says as he stands. "We're sure lucky to have someone like you here." I'm sure lucky that this world's magic works the same way that I've been taught.

"Don't mention it…and thanks for understanding about my…problem. I'm sorry I can't fight like that as much as I please but…every strength can have a downside, or so I'm told."

"Wise words. Say, how come you can touch that thing without getting burned? They're still molten hot."

"Magic gloves," I answer, holding out my hands. "I think I'm done here," I conclude, brushing the dirt and grime off of my hands. "The thing about the traces of magic that I told you about…I might be off the mark a bit. I'm more accurate when the specimen is either alive of recently killed so don't take my whole word for it. Maybe just consider the possibility."

"But what we can definitely conclude is that the Bassault was created in a volcano very recently, it was a somewhat slow moving monster that primarily shoots molten rock from its hands and that it seemed to have a mind of its own. It doesn't need to be controlled as you said," he lists off the things that I found out during the examination.

"I wish I could do more to help you but I really have nothing else to offer."

"You've given us foresight which is very valuable," he says and I smile at him in thanks.

"Sir! Sir!" Someone yells, running over to us from the flashing portal. A young mage comes to a stop in front of us and bent over to pant.

"Is the portal working yet?"

"Uh…no but we…found out what…was causing the problem!" He says between breaths.

"Well hurry up and tell us or was your five meter marathon too much for you," Eli sighs. "You mages are way too squishy. Maybe I should get all of you to jog around town every morning."

"Cut us some slack," The mage sighs, standing up right again. "Tracking down the problem alone took enough energy as it is. And boy is it a weird problem. I don't think it has anything to do with our predicament at all."

"What do you mean?" Eli asks.

"It seems like there's a dimensional anomaly going on. I'm not how to explain it…but the fabric of our dimension seems to be stretched in some parts. Think of our dimensional borders as a blanket or a piece of cloth. It's like someone was trying really hard to rip it apart then tried to pull it back together."

Or somebody was trying to make it look like that.

Father.

"Hey are you okay?" Eli pats me on the back. "You don't look too well. Are do you need to sit down?"

All the blood probably fell from my head and hit my knees so maybe sitting down was a good idea.

"I'm fine," I say. "I'll rest later." That asshole. What was he trying to do now?

"Are you absolutely sure it's a dimensional anomaly and not something else? Anything else? Cause that sounds like sort of a stretch, excuse my usage of words, but it seems too well timed," I say, concealing my irritation

"We'd like it to be a mistake but no. This is absolutely the work of an anomaly but we have no idea why it's happening. We tried to check to see if anyone was ripping at it on purpose but all we can't trace it to any sentient source." Of course they wouldn't find a source. Father's cloaking spells are unmatched by anyone in existence. Wait a minute, is this some sort of test from him? Or more likely, it's sort of joke.

"So it's entirely by coincidence?" Eli asks, incredulous.

"Yes. Luckily it looks that the problem is fixing itself. Though the damage is pretty bad, it seems to be righting itself. We just can't use the portal or teleport for a while. Sending magical messages may be difficult as well." The mage explains. "It's strange though. None of my seniors nor their acquaintances have ever seen something like this before. This might be an event that's the first of its kind in history!"

"Yeah, that's nice and all but it's fixing itself, right?" I ask, crossing my arms. "Not to be a downer but I think we have more pressing manners to attend to. May I suggest that the mages start working on something else? Perhaps we can get maybe one or two people to monitor the portal until it's fixed?" I glance over to Eli for his approval.

"But-"

"I admit that this anomaly should be further investigated," Eli says, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. "But if it has no direct connection to our predicament and doesn't seem to be doing anything but messing with our portals then it's best if we focus on the main problem at hand." He finishes, nodding firmly. "How long do you think it might take for the portal to start working again?"

"Er…let me ask." The mage mumbles and heads back to the portal.

"This is unbelievable," Eli groans.

"Yeah…unbelievable," I mutter, staring down into the ground. What is Father trying to accomplish by doing this? His tricks are so annoying. But he's never been the kind to be malicious to his own so what kind of game is he playing? "Do you think not having the portal is going to affect our chances in the war?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. I'm not going to be sure unless I get a good idea of what we're up against." Eli sighs, rolling his shoulders. "We didn't use it in the last battle against Sepulcher so who knows. Most of the adventurers and many of the guardians aren't very worried. Konnan made a big fuss about it though. Said that we should be on our guard. Don't get cocky or something along those lines."

"When did he say that?"

"It was when we all met right after you went back into the inn. We gathered everyone together for a quick meeting to warn them about the coming war. I think you would have heard the commotion. We were right outside the inn."

"I was probably sleeping. Robina and Ash told me that I was out for a few hours but…" The ache in my legs was getting worse so I decided to plop down on the ground. "…It feels like I hadn't slept at all."

"Are you going to be alright?" Eli asks, kneeling beside me.

"Give it maybe three or four days then maybe I'll be fighting at eighty percent. No guarantees. Last time I had to do this I…I think…" Wait…huh? Something…a while ago.

_No matter what_

"What happened? Ty?" He asks.

What's going on? What am I doing?

"Ty, are you okay." The person next to me asks. This person is…Eli and we're waiting for that mage to come back.

"I'm fine. Why do you ask?"

"Well, you spaced out for a bit. You were going to tell me something." He says, concern growing in his voice.

"I spaced out? Sorry about that," I apologize, lightly slapping my cheeks. "I must be getting sleepy again. That's not good at all," I laugh, trying to relieve the tension. "But what was I going to tell you?" Eli stays quiet for a bit before he speaks, searching my face for…whatever reason. Did he think I was lying?

"You were going to tell me what hap-"

"Sir! Sir!" The mage came back, huffing as he jogs towards us.

"Did you find out how long it's going to take?" Eli asks, standing to address the young mage.

"About two weeks or so," The mage puffs out. "We'd try to help repair it as well but we have no what would happen if we tried anything with this. Should we play it safe?" Eli gazes over the young mage's shoulder to the portal. He takes a moment to think before he answers.

"If there is any chance that something harmful may happen if you tamper with the portal then let it be for now. We can't afford anything to go wrong right now." Eli says, crossing his arms. "Tell the other mages to head to the war room and ask one of our strategists where they can be of service. Leave a few of you to monitor the portal just in case anything changes. Take shifts if you need."

"Yes sir!" The mage half bows to Eli. "Oh right! I almost forgot! You're Ty, right?" He says, pointing over to me.

"Uh…yeah I guess."

"A few warriors walked by. They mention that Ash was looking for you back down by the inn. He said that a package came in for you."

"Did they come by just now?" I ask, dragging myself up.

"They came by a few minutes ago. Ash is probably still down there." Aw man, do I really want to talk to Ash right now?

"Thanks. I guess I'll head down there," I yawn a bit, stretching my arms. "Sorry Eli. I might not be able to see you tomorrow on the field."

"…It's fine. I can't force you on to the battlefield if you aren't at your best. But before you leave, what were you going to sa-"

"Eli! Messages came in from the East!" Another guardian was coming towards us from the tower. Eli looks peeved.

"We'll talk later. Till then rest up." With that, he heads back to the tower with the mage in tow, leaving me to hobble back down to the inn.

… **...**

"Ow! Watch where you're going, kid!" I shout at the small redhead who barged into me. The little girl keeps running up the hill and only looks back to stick out her tongue to blow a raspberry at me. "You little brat." I grumble under my breath as I make my way down to the inn.

So, how am I going to explain myself to Ash. The truth is out of the question and he already knows that I'm hiding something. I guess that means that I should say something to Robina too but I think she already knows something. Just thinking about making up more bullshit was making me irritated.

"I'm tired and it's way too hot to think straight. This sucks," I groan, storm over to the side of the inn and squat in its shadow to bury my pounding head in my lap. Helping Eli helped me clear my head for a few hours but that didn't last long. For some reason, I suddenly felt worse than before.

"Running away from my problems was a lot easier when my family was around." I mumble as I start rocking on my feet.

"That's a strange thing to say." The voice came from nowhere and surprised me enough to lurch forward a bit too far and plant my face on the ground.

"Usually it's the complete opposite, isn't it?" I get into a sitting position to get a better look at the stranger.

An old lady wearing a huge backpack and a straw hat was standing over me, pensively looking up at the sky. Do people around her just slide up to complete strangers this easily?

"How long were you standing there?" I ask, trying to stand up and stare her down. I give up when I feel something in my knees crack.

"Maybe you have one of those new age families with reverse psychological something or another to teach the youngins how to take care of themselves," The old lady muses, taking a seat on the ground next to me and ignoring my question. "Maybe I should do that and Aria wouldn't run off as often as she does."

"Red haired kid?" I ask, giving her a side long glance.

"That's my Aria. A little firebrand. Would blend right in with the fire freaks comin tomorrow," She says, puffing out her chest. "Wish she would listen more though. One of these days, she'll get into trouble and old grams won't be there to pull her out." She continues, sighing.

"I saw her run off to the guardian tower. Does she want to help out?" I ask, trying to get my mind on something else.

"Of course. Young girls love adventure but I think it's still a bit early. I was going to go get her but I'm sure the guardians can handle her." She smiles at me and I think it was the right time to smile back but I didn't feel like it. "I don't need to worry about her but…I think that I'm more worried about you."

"What? Me? I'm fine," I try waving her off. "I'm just going to stare at a wall for a bit. It's very therapeutic y'know. It is!"

"Whatever you say dear but you know what also cheers up kids?" She asks as she gets up and before I could answer, she gently drops her huge ass bag on to my lap and an inhuman shriek comes out of my mouth. "Manual labor! Kids love that! Now help a nice old lady out and carry her bag back home."

"Wait a minute! You can't just…" And I was watching her walk away.

"Youngins these days. Too lazy to help out the elderly unless you force them. Tsk Tsk." LAZY?

"Fine then. Today, I'm a good Samaritan." I squirm out from under the bag and rush to my feet. "What's in this thing? A baby elephant?" I say through my teeth as I lug the bag on to my back.

"Having trouble?" The lady calls to me with a little bit of a laugh in her voice. "Maybe it's too heavy for you. Here, I'll come over to take some load off of the spry youngin."

"I'm coming already! I can totally handle this!" I yell back, taking a quivering step forward. How am I not sinking into the ground? "Just keep walking!"

The old lady shakes her head and starts down the road. I hope to whatever being watches over this world that her house isn't far. How could she carry it so easily?

I clench my teeth together and keep moving forward. With every step, I almost teeter over and crash on to the ground. I was hardly making any progress and the old lady kept stopping and giving me pitying looks. All of that and the heat wave wave was just making me angrier.

She was getting farther and farther away and oh my fucking lord this thing is breaking my back. Literally breaking my back. I can hear the cracks. If I keep going, I might just crumble into pieces. Or maybe I can make this easier and just sprint.

"Here goes." Leaning just a little bit forward, I break into a run and use the weight of the bag to help push me along. Running made the weight feel lighter and I could just run past her and put this load down and-

"Make sure you don't put the bag down too hard dear," the old lady says and I fumble to a stop next to her. "Jerry's sleeping in there."

"There's someone in here?" I squeak out, trying to steady myself.

"Yes, he's very cranky when he wakes up," She explains. "Oh would you look at that! Cysero, you're out today." She says when she notices the mage with messy hair standing in front of a nearby tower. Please don't talk to him. Please.

"How are you doing today?" She asks Cysero. "Would you mind waiting just for a while?" She asks me and I begin to carefully lower the bag to the ground. "You can even put the bag down if you can't handle the weight." This lady is obviously goading me on and it's working.

"I-I'm fine. Perfect even," I say unevenly, shifting my footing. "This i-i-is hardly anything. Heh." I suck in a gulp of air to keep myself steady and try to get a better look at who she was talking to.

He's a mage. He likes green. His hair is a bush and I can't see his eyes. I don't really trust people who hide their eyes. But this guy's name was Cysero and I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before but I'm not sure where or when. But then again, I can't really think straight when I'm carrying someone who weighs like truck.

"How's business? The wars are such a nuisance but they bring in business, am I right?" The old lady says. Cysero doesn't respond. "But I guess all of them ran off to get ready. Action starts tomorrow so everyone's in such a hurry. Except for this little one here. She was moping behind the inn."

"Hey, I wasn't moping!" I protest, readjusting the pack.

"Of course, dear. Youngins these days. Take offense to everything," She remarks and Cysero still doesn't respond. The old lady starts to go off on some other topic and ignores me. The whole time, that weird mage just stands there, a dumb smile stretched across his face standing in that single pose with his finger pointing up at the sky. I want to punch him but that's my irritation talking or maybe it's my calm and sense. It's hard to tell the difference.

I remember waiting around like this when I was a little kid, but without the damn bag. What exactly happened? I was with John out by the Arcadia.

" _And you wouldn't believe what they've started to do now!"_

" _You saw the hangings too?"_

" _Everyone's going mad! Those limbering monstrosities and those freakish little girls were bad enough to tolerate but now everything's gone to hell and worse."_

" _I suppose…how do you think this whole mess started."_

" _The moment the bloke with the two first names came up with this bloody-"_

" _Ty, don't play with that needle. I know it's pretty but control yourself for just a while. You aren't a child anymore and no, fourteen is not the age when you-"_

" _Oh shit. John, pick up your brat! Someone's pissed off a daddy! Oh God, you idiot! We're all going to die!"_

Good times.

The flashback distracts me and I almost fall over. I right myself again and now that I'm back in reality, I remember the burning in my legs and the bone crunching pressure on my back.

"They are delicious though and I guess we should be heading back. Reens is waiting for me back at the shop. See you soon, Cysero." And now she's done and starts to walk back to her shop again. Thank you.

I look up at this weird mage for a while and decide on whether or not to say something but then the guy opens his mouth and I almost kick him in the shin for startling me.

"Hi, this is Cysero but it also isn't Cysero. I'm hologram Cysero and since Cysero Cysero isn't here, I'm here to help you out for any of your housing needs. Please leave a message after the chime." With that, the illusion disappears and the orb that was set up behind it makes a gonging sound.

You asshole.

The old lady must be laughing at me.

"There's no way I'm buying a house from you now." I mumble before I walk off to catch up to the old lady.

… **...**

"Grams, you're back. And look who you brought back with you." Reens says from behind the counter as I try to get through the door. She's leaning over it petting a pink little piggy.

"Thanks for looking after the shop while I was gone. Dear, you can put the bag down now," the old lady says, patting my shoulder.

Slowly, I lower the backpack to the ground and slide out on the floor when I manage to set the bag down without so much a squeak from the floorboards.

"I did it. I win." I breathe out and grin as I punch a fist into the air.

"No need to make such a big deal about it," the old lady tsks, walking over to the bag. "But at least you're not moping."

"I wasn't moping ol-ehem, Mrs…"

"Call me Grams, deary." Grams says as she unzips the bag and slides it off of its contents. What was inside made me gawk. "Not a scratch or jumble on this. Let me get you something special from the back."

It's a huge fish bowl shaped like a big vase. Inside were large colorful rocks, corals and shiny seaweed. A tiny grey bug-eyed fish pokes its head out from behind a green rock.

"Well if it isn't Jerry." Reens smiles, walking over to the bowl with the piggy in her hands. "How's my ferocious little guppy doing," she teases, tapping the glass lightly.

Wordlessly, I crawl over to the bowl and sit next to it. Jerry watches me carefully before swimming into a group of seaweed to hide again. The inside was pretty with all of its colors and diversity. It made me feel nostalgic. But really? All of this for one tiny fish?

"Watch carefully now," Reens says, taking a seat next to me. "What's going to happen is very special but you won't see it unless you pay attention real closely."

I take her advice and lean in as close to the glass as I could without touching it, waiting for any signs of movement.

Something shifts from the corner of my eye and the seaweed rustles. I try hard to keep myself from blinking and then it happens.

A gigantic black mass smashes itself against the glass, jaws gaping open with its eyes rolled back. I scream and unconsciously throw myself back into the wall. Reens was doubles over and laughs and laughs until tears start forming in her eyes. The piggy in her arms was snorting happily, like he was laughing too.

"Gets the newbies every time," She giggles, wiping away a tear.

Still against the wall, I relax once I realize that I've been duped. I'm embarrassed that I got taken in so easily but I start laughing too.

"Someone's feeling better," Grams notes, coming out from the back room with a tray. "You sure get distracted easily." Grams throws something at me and I snatch it out of the air. It crumbles in my hands and I realize it's a cookie. And it's really hot. "I was going to ask if Aria wanted them fresh since she was being so helpful just a while ago but oh well. Reens, have some too."

"Sweet! Too bad Aria's run off." Reens hops over to the counter and grabs a cookie while I stuff the one I have into my mouth. It's sweet! I don't think it's a chocolate cookie but the cookie was sweet, fruity and crunchy.

"Thanks Grams." I say, with my mouth still full. It's weird…being treated like this even though we just met moments ago. Maybe no one here has any concepts about stranger danger but I guess it's okay. Nothing's happened and I'm very happy right now.

"Well come get some more if you like'em." Grams beckons to me so I come and join them at the shop counter.

The shop that Grams owns is a pet shop. Dozens of pets were roaming around the store and sacks and barrels of what were probably food. Animals like mall penguins to blue haired wolf like beasts were making themselves at home. They weren't afraid of strangers either. A three tailed miniature lion was rubbing itself around my legs while Reens and I were devouring more.

"Can you talk about your problem now that you feel better?" Grams asks me out of the blue. Reens looks at both of us and the door, probably wondering if she had to leave or not. Before I could think, I lightly grasp her arm to keep her from leaving.

"Actually…I feel much better. You know…I was overworked over nothing." I chastise myself.

"What were you worried about?" Reens asks, tilting her head as she lets the piggy on to the counter.

"I need to explain a…condition I have to Ash and maybe Robina. I was nervous about it at first but after clearing my head, I think it'll be okay. Ash is a good person and he seems like an understanding one too," I smile, remembering when he asked about the gloves. "I guess the whole war thing stressed me and I couldn't think clearly." That and family business going on.

"I'd say you're right," Reens says, reaching for another. "Ash is a good kid. Can't bear a grudge. He'll feel too bad about it." Grams smiles at both of us before she excuses herself to go back into the other room. Hopefully to get more snacks?

"So thanks for snapping me out of the episode. I get irritated when people do that anyway."

"I'm Reens," She holds out her hand. "I'm a potion master but I think we've already seen each other in the war room." She grins when I firmly shake her hand. "I heard you were a toughie. But you're friends with Ash?"

"Yeah, met him the first time I came to town. He's a cutie, that's for sure. He'll grow up handsome." I grin. I'm getting way to friendly with everyone too fast.

"Stop talking like a creepy old person," Reens teases, slapping my arm.

"Me? Well, you can never start too early. That's what my brother likes to say." I say, thinking about Eric and what everybody else was doing. Probably settling into their new hiding spots. I think Reens thinks I'm kidding.

"Are you enjoying the pet treats?" Grams asks, poking he head out of the doorway. "I have some more if you want some."

"Pet snacks?" Reens coughs on another bite. "I thought these were cookies!"

"They are. But they're for the pets," Reens pales but swallows the pieces that she was chewing on, albeit with some difficulty.

"Is it okay if we eat more?" I ask, eyeing the last one on the tray that we still had.

"Of course. I'm testing them out actually. These ones are different." Grams explains, setting another tray on the counter.

"But they're pet treats!" Reens scrunches her face, eyeing the cookies suspiciously.

"Doesn't mean they don't taste good. Food is food and these are probably very healthy." I shrug, reaching for another.

"The dough is a mixture of different grains and some pieces of fruits I bought the other day," Grams adds, taking a bite herself. "I wouldn't give my dears anything less than the best."

"Really? Then what are these?" Reens asks, pointing to the new ones.

The conversation goes on for a while, segwaying into other topics. It's comfortable. It didn't feel like there was a war tomorrow at all. We talk about other topics like we knew each other for a long time. I have no idea how these people can just waltz up to strangers like this but that doesn't matter. Humans sure are surprising. John would get mad at me if he knew how close I was getting to them and how much I was praising them.

"By the way, where did you get Jerry from?" I ask, looking over to the fish bowl. Jerry had gone into hiding again.

"Funny story actually. Jerry was-"

"Hello?" A familiar voice knocks at the door.

"Ash? Come in." Reens opens the door and I stand up tight, not sure what I was preparing myself for.

Ash and I stare at each other for maybe a few seconds before he decides to step in. It felt longer than that. He was holding a box that was most likely mine. I had to focus to keep myself from chewing the inside if my cheek off.

"Hey Ash…" I say, tentatively raising my hand a little in greeting.

"I was uh…looking for you. This came in and had a note with your name on it. No explanation though." He says nervously, coming closer.

I'm sure we both wanted to get the same thing off of our chests but we weren't sure how to go about it.

"Thanks…I think I know what's inside already."

"Oh…no problem." He says.

"Ah…about the thing that happened before…"

I was about to ask him if we could talk about it privately but then Ash moved to place the package down. He bumped into the counter and the lid of the package fell off.

Everyone in the room looked into the box and my heart fell. The room goes silent when they look into the package of folded clothes, books and the pearl white bones and skull.

"Ty…what is this?" Ash asks, eyes glued to the bones. Reens looks at me questioningly and Grams remains neutral.

I bite down on my cheek hard and ripping the package out of Ash's arms and sprint out of the door.

I don't care if there's a war coming, I'm fucking leaving. I'm going to go to the inn, hole up in there till tomorrow and then I'm gone. Obviously no one's going to be friendly when they tell everyone.

It's over.

Tomorrow, I'm gone.

I should've been more careful and lied better.


	13. Late to the Party

There are eighty floorboards on the floor and fifty on the slanted ceiling. I think it's Saturday and everyone's left town but I'm not sure. I haven't left the room since I came charging in here. I think it was nearing evening and I could hear the crickets start to chirp even though I was on the second floor. Those buggers are loud. Not only that, but it was extremely hot and weird bumping noises were coming from the roof.

I was supposed to leave yesterday morning but no luck. I feel terrible. There's a stone in my stomach and my limbs refuse to move. All I can do is loaf in bed, hugging the package that my family sent me in the dark. The only glow came from the bones. They gleamed beautifully in the inky blackness.

"Just like how it used to be while you were alive."

I'm surprised though. No one's come to check on me since I hid myself in here. I remember seeing Serenity's and Twilly's bewilderment as I rushed by them. I wonder if they saw what was in the box. I wonder if Twilly already knew.

When I jumped into the room and locked the door… I probably just fell into bed but I don't remember. I don't remember dreaming either but I don't want to sleep anymore. It was making me feel even worse.

I wonder what conclusions they've leapt to. Maybe they think I'm a necromancer or maybe even a demon. That's not far from the truth actually but it'll still be awful. Both John and Justine said that I was naïve and told me that it would be better if I lived a lie with normal people rather than tell the truth. Justine and John hardly agree on anything but they both decided to tell me this when I was still in school.

Burying myself in these bed sheets cut off from everyone else sure makes me feel glad that I took their advice.

" _Lies aren't as healthy as the truth but they still satisfy don't they? Like the additives in chocolate. It isn't real and it's not good for you but it's still sweet and makes me come back for more! Who needs the real thing anyway?"_

Zelia told me that. I wonder if she's already changed her name.

But I'm not sad or disappointed. I'm fine! I'm just still feeling the effects from that stupid episode. Probably.

Just thinking about all of this crap was making me depressed. The heat wasn't helping either. Since yesterday, it's intensified and it's almost unbearable.

Looking for a distraction, I reach into the package and pull out one of my books. Flitting through the pages, I briefly scan through all of the drawings and writing that I had put into this particular one. Comprehensive descriptions of various plants, animals and environments along with detailed drawings were displayed on each page. All of them came from a world much like this one. I even colored some of them. I remember meticulously drawing every scale on each reptilian beast and detailing every component of an ent's cell structure.

I learned how to do all of this from my older sister Justine. When I first showed interest in the bestiary in the library at home and started to ask what kind of monsters my older siblings fought, they thought that it would be a good idea to start me early before I started to rip apart the frogs in the pond outside to see how they ticked. Justine started to teach me about biology and put the other subjects on the side. It was a good move. I couldn't do math without getting irrationally angry, languages made me break tables and history was only fun if Zelia was teaching me. Her fieldtrips were fun; especially that one trip to the country with the yellow banners. What was the name of that kingdom again? Eh, I'll figure it out later.

Anyway, I kept learning more and more as we traveled around and eventually I started writing the books. It was hard though; took me six years to get good at it and it was only that fast because it turned into the only thing I concentrated on besides combat and some magic. Even then, we travel around a lot and the rules and fundamentals change all of the time but it's never boring. Especially when I try teaching my siblings.

" _K, so Waddle Doos are an advanced version of a Waddle Dee that also reside in Dream Land. They're more spherical in shape and have one large protruding eye in the middle of their head. Their main form of defense is an angled beam of energy that they fire from their huge eyeball."_

"… _Who the hell named them Waddle Doos?"_

"… _Is that really the only question?"_

I didn't have time to record much since we moved around a lot but then John heard about some new city that was going to get built under the se-

"Hurry! Hurry!" Someone yells from downstairs. "Serenity, are you there?" I think it's Robina and she sounds frantic. I could hear heavy footsteps and someone else shouting in pain.

"Did they bring someone injured here?" I groan out loud, throat feeling dry from not talking for so long. Gingerly, I roll over and try to sit up. I feel all of my joints crack and pop and my head feels light and spots were invading my vision.

The ruckus from downstairs was getting louder and I could hear them bump and struggle their way up the stairs. They continued to scuffle down the hall and towards the room at the end of it.

"I'm sorry Serenity. There's no room left in the tower and there are too many wounded."

Too many wounded? They can't actually be losing…it's only been a day or two.

Curiosity piqued, I decide that maybe it's a good idea to get up and find out what's going on. I place my book back into the box, careful not to shift the bones too much, and lift my legs over the edge of the bed. I clench my teeth as I stand up; everything is sore and aching. Stretching makes it worse and I'm caught by surprise when I check the bed. There was a large indent in the mattress…Am I gaining weight or something? I've been a lot more active lately so what the crap?

Deciding on ignoring it for the time being, I take one small step towards the door and slowly put my weight on my foot. Immediately, my knee buckles and I almost crash down on the floor.

"What's happening to me?" I ask out loud, trembling as I stumble to the wall for support. There's no way that just a day of sleeping makes you this sore. Even when I use the wall to lean on, every step stings as I move towards the door.

Once I got to the door, I grab a hold of the doorknob and realize that I hadn't locked it. Why did no one come into the room? Were they too preoccupied with the war?

A shriek of pain coming from the other room stops that train of thought or to be more descriptive, it flipped the train over a cliff. The shriek wasn't just was piercing; it was horrifying and drawn out like someone was having their eye ripped out of its socket excruciatingly slowly. My stomach churns at the ugly thought but I turn the knob anyway. The metal was warm on my fingers and when I came out into the hall, the outside light made me wince. It was empty but not for long if Robina was right. More of the injured were going to come here and maybe I should vacate as soon as possible.

Another weird bumping sound came from the roof again and this time I feel the building shake. It prompts me to hurry and limp down the hall still using the walls as support. As I approach the room, I try stepping lighter to keep myself from being heard. The room had suddenly gone quiet and I wasn't sure if I wanted to know why.

The door was opened a crack inwards into the room. When I peer in to see what was happening, the sight of Robina, Serenity and a guardian standing over another guardian who was injured greets me. It's not pretty. He's covered in singe marks and some parts were partially melted. Unfortunately, some were melded into his skin. Robina didn't look too good either; there were angry burns on her skin and a bandage was wrapped around her shoulder. Blood was seeping through it.

"The potion will knock him out for a while. In that time, I can get someone to help treat him but…We have to be careful with how much healing items we use. We're running low and Reens can't make more until the runners come back with the reagents from the west." Robina sighs, wiping the sweat from her forehead. "They're a lot easier to find in Surewood but we can't get there right now."

"Why? What's happened?" Serenity asks. "I haven't been able to go outside for a while."

"Ma'am, have you seen the most eastern part of town?" The guardian asks in return. I had to lean in through the door a bit more to get a better look at him. He was also covered in singe markings and wore bandages all over his head. "The enemy managed to push us back into town and destroy some of the building before we pushed them out again. We're on the brink."

I stifle a gasp to keep myself from being caught. How can all of this happen in just two days? Is Xan really that powerful?

"Oh no, Grams and Aria live there. Are they okay?" My back was against the door and the comment almost makes me fall into the room.

"We evacuated everyone there and moved them but I'm sorry to say that some of the places that burned down included their home and the pet shop. I saw Grams helping with treating the wounded at the tower with Twilly and the other healers but-" He explains as I shift my footing. It causes one of the floorboards to creak and the guardian turns to face the door. Startled, I try to make a run for it down the hall but the pain in my legs makes me trip and drop on the ground.

"Ty! Is that you?" Serenity exclaims, fully opening the door and rushing to my side. When she throws her arms around me, I have no idea what to say. "You're awake! I was so worried" Her words were muffled against my neck. Both Robina and the guardian move towards us. The guardian looks at me in mild confusion and Robina looks furious.

"I-I'm sorry. Did I worry you?" I ask shakily, hugging Serenity back.

"Yes, you jerk!" Robina scolds, walking over and whacking the back of my head. "You ran off, barged into the inn and hid yourself in a room without a word."

"We left you alone for a while thinking that maybe Ash upset you but after about a day we came to check. No matter what we did, you didn't wake up." Serenity hugs me tighter before moving back.

"You didn't need to be that worried. I guess I'm a heavier sleeper than I thought," I say, embarrassed.

"I'll say! You were asleep for a week!" Robina hauls me up and hugs me too. I'm left speechless.

"What do you mean a week? I was only lying in bed for one!" I stumble back from her. "There's no way I would…" I trail off. I was lying around in a windowless room so how much time actually did pass? I can't say I was thinking much about the time but…this doesn't happen. This never happens.

"When Ash and I came to check on you, we found you lying on the ground," Serenity informs me gently, laying her hand on my arm. "We moved you to the bed and you didn't move or react to us at all. We had no idea what was wrong and then the war started and things became terrible very fast." Another noise comes from the roof, punctuating her statement.

"We should have been more prepared. There are way more of those monsters than we expected. We starting rationing supplies a few days ago and the healers are always busy."

"You weren't the only one sleeping either," The guardian says to me from the bedside of the wounded man. "Tanisha's still out," he says, pointing out the other bed in the room. I didn't notice but there were more beds at both sides of the room. One had Tanisha tucked under its covers. She seems to be sleeping peacefully but if it's like how the others were when I...did that to them, she's probably going to be there for a while.

"We thought it was some sort disease at first but no one else fell asleep. Good thing too. I don't think it's possible for us to fare any worse."

"Is it really that bad? It's been only a week. What happened while I was sleeping?"

"The day after you fell asleep, everyone went out of town to face the enemy. Within two days, we were pushed back," Robina sighs. "We're barely keeping them out of town but there is some good news though. Reinforcements from King Alteon are coming in a few days so we might not have to fall back to Oaklore."

"I see…Are Ash and everyone else helping out too?" Robina nods at my question and answers my next before I say it out loud.

"Everyone's fine and they've been checking you regularly. Ash was just in this morning before he went out with a group into the front lines. Not that the front line's that far off." She says staring out the window. "Brave kid; refused to stay back no matter what I said."

I'm glad they're okay but if they've been checking on me and since I woke up with my box still opened…Maybe I should just run now before anyone asks.

"Ty?" Serenity says, seeing the shift in my expression. "Are you feeling okay? You were asleep for a long time." Why aren't they mentioning anything about the bones? Is this some attempt at lulling me into a sense of calm? Who's to say that they didn't keep me asleep like the injured guardian.

Before I could even make a move to run away, we all hear someone barge in from downstairs. Robina and the guardian share a concerned look before rushing out of the room and downstairs. Serenity follows after them and I'm left alone in the room. Shouting comes from downstairs and I was debating whether or not to join them or take my things and jump out the window. Then something catches my ear.

"Where's Ash?" Someone, Robina maybe, shouts from below. I was on the stairs so fast that I didn't even realize that I was supposed to still be in pain. As I reach the ground floor, I'm struck by how burned and torn up the group of people coming through the door were. Humans shouldn't even be able to stay alive with the injuries that they had. One was leaning on his friend; he had an injury on his forearm that let me see a part of his charred bone. It was like his flesh had been ripped apart by fangs and burned at the same time. His was the worst but the others were close.

Serenity and the guardian were trying to heal them right on the spot but there was no way these guys were going back out.

"We decided that maybe if we blasted into their ranks with a big magical explosion, we could disrupt them and cause confusion among the enemy but it wasn't big enough and got in too deep." A mage winces, explaining the situation absently as he pants on the ground holding a wound on his stomach with his torn up hands.

"Guys? Where's Ash?" One of them gasps. "Did we leave the kid behind? We have to go back!"

"I told him that he shouldn't go in so far but he's been acting so out of it lately," Robina grits her teeth in frustration.

"Ash is alone out there?" I breathe out. Thinking back to the Bassault and looking at what the monsters out there did to these people made my knees shake. Ash is out there and he's alone. I was already heading back to my room when Serenity calls out to me.

"Ty! You can't go!" She says as she catches up to me. "You just woke up from a coma or something like that. You can't go to the battlefield so soon!" I enter the dark room and grab my bag from the top of the bedstand. Serenity stops herself from entering the room. "I'm sure he'll be fine. Someone will go look for him." She says from the doorway.

"Not during war times they won't. Everyone sounds busy as it is" I say, taking my armor out from my bag. All of my armor this time; I promised Eric and Father I would even if I hated it. "And this is Ash we're talking about, there's no way he can take whatever's out there by himself. Looking at those guys downstairs…" I trail off, readjusting my gauntlet. "I can't stand the thought of him out there alone and injured like that." Or dead. Looking over to the box on the bed, I try to decide what to do with it. I could take it with me in my bag but I'm afraid that my things will fall out; the bones were fragile and Justine told me to never let the books come to any harm whatsoever. I pick it up and stare at the contents, thinking about where I should hide it.

"You don't need to worry," Robina says from the doorway and I subconsciously hold the box tighter to me. I didn't notice her come up. "Serenity can keep it safe for you if you really are going." Serenity looks at Robina then at me before she concedes to let me go.

"I'll keep it safe…that is if you trust me with it," Serenity offers, carefully stepping towards me. I mull over it for a moment, searching Serenity's expression. Her eyes were hopeful and sincere.

Still tense, I decide to place the box on the bed and take a few steps back. Serenity took my actions as a sign to come in and take the box. She moves to the bed and picks up the box without wincing once at the box.

"It'll be safe with me, I promise. So you have to promise that you'll come back for it," She smiles at me and I nod firmly before I leave the room and pass Robina.

"Sorry." Robina says, making me stop. "I was there when we found you on the ground. One of your books fell out of your box and it was lying open on the ground along with some other things. The picture looked really nice so I couldn't help but read it. I only read that one page so I didn't invade your privacy that much," She laughs a little. "Ash saw it too. He read a bit after he put your things back in the box. Don't worry he was careful." She pauses to gauge my reaction.

"Maybe when you bring him back and things start to settle around here, we could ask you for permission to read some more. What's in the box is your business after all." Robina continues, looking me in the eyes. She was trying to be subtle, I'll give her that.

"I'll think about it…" I say shakily even though I feel immensely relieved. "Say, which page did you guys read?"

"It was the one about Hydrus the Leviathan. It was subtitled something but I forgot what it was."

"Draco Marinus," I reply, more relaxed. "A Colossus." The sides of Robina's mouth pull up into a half smile.

"Go on now. I'll be right behind you if I can get my damn shoulder healed that is," she scowls, rubbing her bandaged wound.

There was nothing more needed to be said. I ran down the stairs, armor clanking with each step. I pass the guardian and the wounded burst out of the front doors with sword in hand.

What was waiting outside was unbearable heat and fireballs raining down on Falconreach. That explains the bumps coming from the roof. Smoke was billowing from the west and nothing else mattered but getting there and finding Ash.

…

"Hey you!" A warrior yells at me as I pass him by. "What are you doing?" He shouts as I slash my way into the hoard of fire monsters. The crowds of them were getting denser and denser as I weave my way through them.

The others were keeping them at bay practically just outside of town with mages and archers firing ice balls and arrows at them from afar. The warriors face the monsters that managed to get past the barrage of projectiles. They were trying desperately to keep them back long enough for the reinforcements to come.

The monsters were surging down the road from Surewood and That-a-way. The monsters ranged from the standard elementals and slimes to flaming flamingos and furies. There were even fiery demonic bats creating smoke lines in the sky. They had scorched the road that they had used to come here and many of the trees were aflame. I hack and slash at them, disintegrating elementals and cutting down the furies frantically looking for any signs of Ash as I keep moving through them. Breathing in the smoky air was not doing well for me.

The group of adventurers had said that they went too deep and lost Ash around that time…probably. It occurred to me that I had no idea where to look exactly and that finding Ash in this mess was going to take a lot of luck.

"Konnan! We have to go back!" The shout startles me and I search for the source. It was Ash and for some reason Konnan was out here too. I could hear them shouting but all I could see was a sea of fire…and feathers and fur.

"I can't let you stay here!" Ash yells and I finally catch sight of a tuff of chestnut hair through the monsters. As I push my way through them, I can see him pulling at Konnan's arm, trying to drag him back to Falconreach but the opposite was happening and Ash was getting dragged. For some reason all of the monsters were moving right past them making a point to dodge Konnan as they pass by.

"I can't. I need to find him!" Konnan shouts back over the noise of the battle. "I need to go! I need to get him to sto-"

At that moment, Ash loses his grip on Konnan and slips on to the dry grass. It takes half a second for Konnan to look back to see if he was okay and another half for the monsters to jump for Ash.

A huge fiery eyed bat lunges for him but a knife flies right through its skull.

My knife to be specific.

"Stay away from them!" I shout as I cut down an elemental about to jump on Ash. It dissipates into thin air in front of Ash's dumbfounded eyes.

"Ty! You're awake!" Ash exclaims with a mixture of excitement and relief.

"I fall asleep just for a few days and this is what happens?" I joke, pulling him up on his feet. "But you," I turn to Konnan who was standing by just gaping at us. "I can understand why Ash is this far out here but where do you think you're going?"

"That…that's none of your business!" Konnan snaps back after a second of hesitation.

"None of my business? Well I…it doesn't matter right now. Whatever it is, it can wait till after you're both out of mortal danger!"

"Ty, watch out!" Ash warns me and he pulls me down to dodge a stray fireball that we both watch fly right past Konnan's head. He flinches away from it but I swear that fire ball went off course a little bit.

I didn't have much time to think about it though. More monsters were attacking us and even if most of them were ignoring us in favor of moving towards Falconreach, the ones that attacked were tiring me out already. Ash wasn't faring any better.

"We aren't going to last long!" I grimace, hitting away a glob of lava. "C'mon Konnan. We're going to get overrun if we don't start heading back!" Konnan wasn't listening; he kept trying to move up the river of fire that flowed down to Falconreach.

"Hey! Are you listening? Get back here you idiot!" I yell, trying to reach out to him. Then a familiar face shows up in my peripheral vision and I think I threw up my mouth a bit.

"Is that…?" Ash stammers, pointing up at the towering Bassault.

"You mean there are bigger ones?" I could feel my eye twitching involuntarily as I stare at the thing that was rising up from the ground. "No arguing Konnan; we're going back whether you want to or not!" Moving towards Konnan, I aim for the back of his neck and prepare to knock him out. Ash, seeing what I was about to do, moves towards me to help me carry the soon to be unconscious Konnan.

A furious roar pierces the air and I swear loudly. The Bassault had seen us was about to launch a shot of lava at us. With a grunt, I grab both Ash and Konnan by the collar and push them down to the ground.

It took about a second and even then I wasn't fast enough. The Bassault shoots through the mass of monsters and the battlefield explodes in an enormous blast of flame. I managed to push the two down in time and the shot only singes their backs slightly.

I was hit directly of course.

Intense heat hits me and I'm blasted into the air. My world was spinning and it ended with me crashing into a group of monsters. The impact kills most of them and incapacitates me. I think I made a smoking crater but I couldn't really tell through the pain inducing haze.

More shouting brings me back to the present. Come on Ty; get up! They're being attacked!

It takes a lot of effort to sit up and somehow I manage it and my fingers were still wrapped around the hilt of my sword. It was some sort of small miracle that I had hung on to it.

There was a clear blackened path back to Konnan and Ash that the Bassault's attack had made. That same Bassault had smashed its fist into the ground aiming for Ash but missed him barely thanks to Konnan pushing him away.

I make a mad dash towards them, preparing to jump the monster to distract it or something. I'll think of something when I get there.

A bat dives for me but a quick upward slash slices its wing clean off and I keep moving. I was on a roll, leaping over lava globs and cutting through fire elementals that get in my way.

One of the furies flew into my path and shot some of its feathers at me. Deflecting the projectiles with a twirl of my sword, I spring into the bird and stab it through.

That was a big mistake.

A whole group of them rush me from all directions. The Fury was limp on my sword and I fling it off into a bunch of them to try to make a path out but more just keep coming. I don't understand how all of them are attacking me and only one Bassault was attacking the others.

I slash wildly, fending off my attackers but they just keep surging in. I could hear Ash and Konnan shouting my name and really they should be focusing on their own huge ass problem and I'm rambling in my own head.

A Lava Glob of all things was the thing that knocks me down on my back, slamming a molten fist into my stomach. I'm down and now they were all closing in on me. Now on my back, I fight to keep them off and struggle to keep my view of the sky that was, despite all the fiery destruction on the ground, still blue.

It was intensely hot and it was getting harder to breathe and fight to stand up. The heat was definitely going to my head cause I can see a black dot in the sky and it was getting bigger and bigger. Am I starting to black out?

As the dot was getting larger, I start to see that there was something weird about it. It had weird lines protruding from it; eight to be exact. What the-

Eight huge spindly legs slam onto the ground, creating a miniature quake and causing the monsters to scatter. Stunned, I lie still on the scorched ground trying to make sense of what was standing above me.

It's a gigantic spider. A gigantic spider the size of a cottage fell from the sky and saved me. Now it's probably going to eat me.

"Hey sleepy head!" A young girlish voice yells. Oh god, it can talk and it sounds like a hell spawn. "Hey, are you going to pass out for a week again?" It asks.

"Spu-spu-SPIDER!" I shout and point at it.

"Duh, obviously," The girlish voice says. A little red headed girl peers down from atop it and wrinkles her nose. "Hey lazy, are you going to get up or what?"

"You! I know you!" I exclaim, sitting up. "You're Aria; the little brat who doesn't watch where she's going. What's a little girl even doing in a battlefield?"

"I just saved your sorry butt and you're lecturing me?" She raises an eyebrow. "And I should be asking you the same thing!"

"I am not a child!" A loud blast stops me from continuing to argue and I look over to see that the Bassault had missed Ash and Konnan again. Both of them look tired; they probably won't be able to keep dodging much longer and there's no way they can turn and run. This thing was faster than the last one.

"Ugh, it doesn't matter," I pick myself up and leap up to grab the femur, spiders do have femurs by the way, and swing myself up onto its abdomen to kneel next to Aria. "This lady yours?"

"Yes, her name is Thomas. Caught and raised her myself," Aria proclaims proudly, puffing out her chest. "She and I were stomping around having a great time until we saw you guys. It looked like you needed help."

"Heh, saved by a little girl," I sigh and place a hand on her shoulder. "How about you do the same for the boys. I need you to get Thomas to leap on to and knock that freak down," I motion over to the berserk Bassault.

"You want Thomas to fight that thing?" She asks, incredulous. "Sorry, no way. Thomas can jump and smash small fry pretty well but I'm not letting her get into a fight with  _that!"_  I shake my head and continue to explain.

"Once you do that, jump away and get Ash and Konnan on to Thomas. I'll kill that thing and we can head back." Aria nods and crawls up to Thomas' head and taps her lightly.

"C'mon, Thomas! Let's go!" She shouts, pointing over to the Bassault. "Hang on tight, sleeping beauty!" She shouts back to me a spit second before launch into the sky. I latch on to Thomas and feel my stomach twist as we fly through the air. Boy, could Thomas jump. I could see the entire path from up here. It was a long flaming river that lead to Falconreach and I couldn't see where the river began.

I had about three seconds to take in the view before we start to plummet to the ground. I was too engrossed in Aria's expression of utter glee to scream as we fall.

The impact of Thomas' legs crushing the Bassault creates another crater in the ground and sends Ash and Konnan flying back a few meters.

Thomas bends her legs to leap again, making the Bassault sink into the ground even more. The Bassault roars angrily but the force of Thomas falling on it keeps it from getting up. Just before Thomas jumps, I hop down to land on the back of the huge fallen Bassault.

Thomas leaps again but this time lands next to the two discombobulated boys.

"Get on the spider, guys." I shout over to them as I prepare my sword. I remember holding the severed head of the Bassault that I defeated when I was…you know. Maybe if I do the same here, it'll kill the beast immediately. "Off with your head you annoying jerk!" I grab one of the Bassault's horns, pulling the head back and hack at its neck twice before it's lopped off.

The head falls and rolls to a stop on the dirt and instantly, the rest of the body goes limp and I punch the air in triumph. I turn back and wave to the small party on Thomas. Aria waves back and Ash's face is lit up by admiration. It made my heart swell. Konnan on the other hand looks like he's about to make a run for it. I was about to shout at them to keep Konnan from running off but then I heard a strange buzzing noise and the temperature shot up.

My face falls and I turn to the Bassault's stump of a neck. Something glowing yellow and extremely hot was oozing out of it. The grey outer shell of the Bassault's body was flaking off and revealing a glowing and pulsing center. The corpse was beginning to shake and it was heating up fast.

"Is it going to blow?" My eyes widen and I'm frozen; the thing was about to explode.

"You aren't cool enough to go out in a blazing glory," Aria says and I feel two pairs of hands on my shoulders and suddenly we're flying through the air again.

"Hang on!" Konnan grimaces, gripping my shoulder tighter. Ash was doing the same and I grab on to both of their arms. The body of the Bassault was fast becoming a speck on the ground.

A twinkle flickers from the corpse for a single moment and then a flash goes off. The body explodes, sending out an advancing wall of pure energy that engulfs everything its path. The shockwave it emits propels us away even faster and we brace ourselves for impact. As we begin to descend, the fire begins to die out, leaving a big empty space.

I didn't blink at all throughout the whole thing.

"That was close," Aria exhales. "That was way too close to Falconreach!" When the comment reaches my ears, I notice that the monsters on the ground were scattering, confused and startled by the explosion. The adventurers had taken advantage of that and surge out of Falconreach to regain land.

"Look, they have a welcoming party for us!"

"Why are they pointing their arrows at us?"

… **...**

"So you're telling me that a bunch of newbie kids and a blacksmith apprentice made more progress on their own in a few hours than what almost all of the adventurers and guardians in Falconreach did in a week?" Eli asks, arms crossed and foot tapping on the ground as he addresses a group of strategists and leaders of various adventuring parties.

"We were just lucky," I mumble, standing beside Eli, Robina and Ash. We were also lucky that the archers heard us screaming before they decided to fire. I'm also lucky that no one was scolding me for my rash actions yet. Aria was dragged off by Grams by the ear and Konnan was probably getting an ear full by that guy with the beard, Yulgar. Konnan wouldn't say why he ran out so suddenly and it looks like he won't get the chance to try again. I hope he isn't too angry.

"But now we just got a chance to turn this battle to our favor. We can't let this slip through our fingers. Now get out there and beat them back," Eli orders, dismissing them and they all run off to their stations.

"You aren't off the hook you know," Eli turns to me and I wince at his words. Crappers, here it comes. "If you had offed that Bassault closer to town, we would have been wiped out too."

"Sorry, I had no idea it was going to do that. It was different from the last one," I explain myself.

"It was probably a good thing that she set it off," Robina cuts in. "I think this Bassault was made to come closer to or into town. If we had slayed it here rather have it explode farther away in the middle of the battlefield, we would have been finished."

"So that monster was a walking trap?" Ash asks.

"It's a good strategy. We were all fighting them off just outside of Falconreach. Having that monster come up would've been a disaster but it seems that Xan's trap blew up in his face," Eli agrees. "Thank you for your help and I'm glad you have returned to full health," Eli says to me. "I thought you said you couldn't fight like you did with the last Bassault."

"Well, I wasn't armored last time and Aria and Thomas were the ones that did most of the work. But it looks like Aria won't be allowed out to fight let alone out of her own house for a while."

"Who's Thomas?"

"The spider," I answer. "And without Aria, she won't be fighting either."

"Thomas is a girl? Ehem, I mean…it's too bad we won't have Thomas helping us but I'm not one to force people to let their kids run around in a war. I usually don't let kids fight period…no offense." Eli coughs.

"What do you mean no offense?" I demand but Robina places a hand on the top of my head to stop me.

"We should get back to work," Robina says, ruffling my hair. "This time, we should be on the lookout for more surprises. Word just came in that King Alteon's forces are ahead of schedule and they'll be here in about two days."

"And then I have to high tail it out of here," Robina mutters.

"Yes, I'm going back to the front lines. Take time to recuperate and get back out there as soon as you're ready." He nods to us and walks off. I was about to ask Ash and Robina where we were supposed to go when Ash suddenly grabs my arm and let's go just as suddenly.

"Sorry, I just…wanted to know if you were really okay," He stammers. "I mean, you were in asleep for so long and when you saved us, you got hit directly by that attack," He looks guilty when he says it.

"I'm pretty okay actually. I thought the attack was going to knock me down and keep me there but I think the armor saved my life," I explain, looking down at the shining white metal. What a color to pick for me. "The defense stats and metal must be pretty high. I could probably get one commissioned for you if you like," I say, getting off topic. "As for the whole sleeping for a week thing…I have no idea what happened. I felt terrible when I first woke up but now it's gone. I feel fine all around. It's weird."

"Are you sure?" He asks again. "Well yeah, you just said so but do you think it was because I…I just…um sorry," He finally gets out, ears flushed red. "Maybe if I wasn't acting like-"

"It's okay," I say, throwing my arms around him in a tight hug. "I overreact a lot if you haven't noticed. But everything's fine that is…if you're okay with sticking around me." I say, pulling back. He's beet red now but the edges of his mouth pull up into a relieved smile and he nods happily.

"Sorry to interrupt but I have something for you," Robina says, pulling out an envelope. My name was handwritten on the back in a flourish of loops and decorated with hearts. "The packaging of it is interesting. Is it something that you use for letters back where you come from?"

"…Yup, this is an envelope. We usually put letters in here to send them out but they also come in bigger sizes too." I say as I examine the envelope. It has an enchanted seal and the handwriting was unmistakable. "Who did you get this from?" I ask, wording myself carefully.

"It fell out of the sky and on to my head."

"Ah, must have teleported it magically then," I say, discreetly placing my thumb on the seal. I feel heat emanating from it as it melts. Ripping the envelope open, I take out the lace print letter.

_Hey, sis. Hope you're having a nice time. Soon it's going to be the bestest time cause guess who is going to be rooming with you. Gosh, it's going to be so fun even with the totally bland medieval dungeons and dragons setting again. Haha. I would've come sooner but sneaking around John and actually tracking down this weird out of the way world is hard! I'd have an easier time fucking a dinosaur. Teehee. Anyway, in two days' time, it's going to get crazy._

"Great…" I deadpan, stuffing the letter into my pocket. "My sister Zelia is coming to visit in about two days." This is just perfect, not that I dislike Zelia but…I'm not sure I want her to fight in a war.

"Two days? It's not safe for her! Isn't there a way to contact her to ask her to wait?" Ash asks, flustered.

"Even if there was a way to reply, there's no way she'd miss a war. Especially since I'm involved," I look over to the evening sky rolling in. "Ash, you've met Eric and Father. What do you think about them? Be honest."

"Well, your dad looks cool and laid back," Ash answers, hesitant. "Eric's cool too but…I don't think he likes me that much." He confesses.

"I bet he wouldn't," I say, reaching a hand out to pinch his cheek. He reacts with a small "ow" but doesn't move to resist me. "You're a really sweet kid and you're more adorable than a kitten playfully head booping the muzzle of a corgi-husky while sitting on a bed of flowers and metroids."

"That's a bit too sweet…What's a metroid?"

"Believe me; they are adorable," I assure him, putting my hand down. "But the thing is, that's not Eric's type. He's into the wild type or delinquent type. People who like to think of themselves as tough. He adores messing with them. He's also into the badass beauties like Robina."

"Really now," Robina smirks.

"Truth's standing right here," I smile mischievously. "Now Zelia is a different fish. She doesn't mind Eric's taste but she's into people like you," I poke Ash's forehead playfully. "Combine that and the fact that everybody in my family likes to showboat, she'd be itching to get into the fight to show off to you," I say, remembering back to a time when she would jump from rooftop to rooftop setting off explosions to attract fights. Great times I tell ya.

"So she's a go-getter," Robina muses. "What does she look like?"

"I don't know," I answer reflexively. "I mean…she changes her style and clothes so much that I have no idea what she'll look like next." Like a dinosaur maybe. "Though it would help if you didn't mention anything about her appearance when you see her. It's a touchy subject. Just a warning." I shrug, starting to walk towards the guardian tower. "How about we head to the tower? I want to see how everyone else is doing before I go back to fight." I say, changing the subject.

"Sure," Ash says. "But…you told us about what your siblings' preferences are…so…what about you," He asks, voice gradually getting quieter as he looks at a spot on the ground.

"Me?" I ask, looking back to him. Robina smiles knowingly and I think of the answer that would fluster him the most. "Eric's and Zelia's preferences are quite different but I swing both of their ways," I wink at him before walking off feeling like a million gold. The look on his face was at least worth that much.

…

Two days came by and went. Confidence was building in the ranks as more enemy waves were taken down.

When I visited the tower for the first time after waking up, I walked into a hall filled to the brim with the injured. A chorus of moans or pain came from every corner of the tower. It was intensely hot and humid inside which was unbearable and it probably wasn't good for healing injuries. Reens was there tending to them and jumped at me when I came by.

"Are you a bear or something?" She asked. "Cause if you are, you sure picked the right time to go hibernate."

Grams came by too. She was still dragging Aria around to keep an eye on her and she told me she was glad that I was okay. Aria pouted the whole time.

Then some bald guy with a mustache and a pair of scissors came up to me and started to cut off bits of my hair.

"…What are you-"

"It not be good to keep burnt bits in your hair, lass."

"Just go with it," Robina said.

"…Okay."

After that meeting, I stuffed a piece of bread into my face and continued on. Everyone was worried that I wasn't eating enough but I felt fine. It's strange; a whole week of literally doing nothing but breathing hadn't done any damage to me.

I checked how the portal was doing after that. The dimensional disturbance was dying down but using it was still out of the question. I was sure the egg would be fine and that Lady Celestia was taking care of herself just fine so I went back out to the battlefield. Everything's been going well up to now but we shouldn't speak so soon.

"Keep up the good work guys!" Eli yells as he bats a fury into the ground. "Don't save any for Alteon's slowpokes." He jokes and laughter washes across the adventurers close by. We've been advancing at a steady rate and the declining amount of attacking monsters let everyone recover. As the sun was going down, I could feel that we were on the verge of victory.

"What's taking them so long?" I ask, stomping on a fallen bat as I watch from afar as Ash slash at and miss a fury. "They're taking their time aren't they?" I feel a tiny rush of air hits my neck and I barely have time to side step an arrow.

"I'm sure there's a reason he's not here," Robina says, aiming another arrow at the Fury that was terrorizing Ash.

"If you say so but that was sorta close, Robina," I smile, deftly knocking down a fire elemental. I was getting better at this warrior stuff.

"Eh, I knew you would dodge it," She shrugs, letting the arrow fly. "Believe me, they'll be here," She continues, lowering her bow. "But when they do, I'm going to hide for a while. Stealing from the rich still gets me on the wanted lists of the authorities, even if I give the gold to the poor or furry forest creatures or…" She trails off, jaw dropping. She was suddenly pale and her eyes were widened in panic, staring up at the space above me.

"What's gotten in to you? Is it something behind me?" I ask nervously, full expecting something terrible to be standing behind me. I swivel around slowly but what I saw was probably worse than a huge monster.

A miniature mushroom cloud was rising over the horizon, just barely outside of the west end of Falconreach.

"D-do you think?" Robina sprints past me without a word, running back in the direction of Falconreach. "Wait just a second!" I yell after her. "Not you too," I groan, looking around the battlefield for someone; anyone really.

"Where's Robina going," Ash asks as he walks up behind me, making me jump.

"Ash!" I grab his shoulders and turn him to face me. "By any chance, did you check to see if the portal was working this morning?"

"Yeah but it's still busted why do you ask?" He says, stumbling over his words.

"Go find Eli. Start yelling or something. Tell everyone that we're being attacked from the back!"

I drop his shoulders and rush off, chasing Robina's back. By the time I reached the middle of Falconreach, I hear a loud explosion go off back at the front lines but I couldn't go back. I already lost sight of Robina and there was no one to defend the west end.

I don't falter and keep going as fast as I can, hearing echoing maniacal laughter as I move along.


	14. Too Hot to Handle

"Robina!" I shout, starting to become hoarse from calling for Robina and running through Falconreach. "You can't run off on your own, Robina! Wait!" Throughout the entire war, all I could smell was burning grass and trees. As I approach the outskirts of town, however, another smell became disturbingly evident and I know exactly what it is.

I had to stop. I'm sure many of my siblings would find what I was seeing hilarious but I, on the other hand, have an affinity towards humans and what I saw combined with the smell made me want to throw up.

From where I was standing on the black charred ground stretching across the bridge and beyond were rows and rows of metal boots. All in pairs; missing their owners. Looking closer, I notice that the greave, which is the part of a suit of armor that protects the shins, were half sized and glowing red around the rims. Judging from the smoke rising out of the boots and the terribly familiar smell that witnesses from witch burnings could recognize, what happened was obvious.

A piece of burnt red fabric floats down from the sky and I snag it out of the air to take a look. A small blue emblem emphasizing a white dragon emblazed the cloth and I knew immediately that these were King Alteon's forces.

They ran into some trouble and couldn't make it.

Getting over my trepidation, I cover my mouth and nose and maneuver over the bridge careful not to look or touch the remains of our reinforcements.

There was no sign of the King anywhere. Perhaps he was at the front and got incinerated completely or he was wearing the same boots as everyone else.

But then I noticed something peculiar. All of the boots were facing away from Falconreach.

At that moment, a chorus of screeches and roars comes from across the bridge as Xan's monsters begin to move across the bridge.

Wasting no time, I charge headlong into them. Fireballs shoot through the air as I leap into them. My sword deflects each one as I twirl through them, smashing globs and cutting up furies. Thankfully, their numbers were sparse and I could run through them quickly. I tried to slay as many as I could but I was in a hurry. Robina must be somewhere around here and maybe even the King if he survived. His presence could boost morale. We're probably going to need a lot of that for what's coming up next.

Speak of the devil, as I rip through one last fire elemental I realize why the number of monsters were so thin.

The King was up the path and he was kicking ass. King Alteon was defending against an entire horde of them, hacking away at them only letting the odd monster through. I was in awe of him and how he could fight with such a huge blue cloak and heavy looking red robes. The grimace he makes as he slaughters his enemies seems vaguely familiar.

One of the furies manages to snag a handful of his cloak and catches him by surprise. He falls on one knee and can probably get up in a second but that's just enough time for him to be overrun.

I was ready though. With throwing knives already in hand, I let them fly. The moment the monsters at the front are shot down, I throw another wave of knives as I rush to the King's side. He was on his feet again but he was shaking as he starts to fight again. He wasn't going to last long if I didn't switch in for him.

Or not. All of the monsters in the back had suddenly froze and had either disintegrated, melted or fall flat on the ground.

By the time I reach the King, who was breathing heavily and trying his best not to sag or look tired in front of one of the commoners, he had already taken most of them down. I join him in defeating the last few. Now that I was closer, I could see arrows sticking out of one of the downed furies.

"Thank you, child," he puffs after I knock away one last bat.

"I'm not a child!" I snap back before I realize that I should watch my language in front of the King. "Uh…I mean…" I kneel in front of him, even if it was extremely degrading. "Sire, I am glad that you are safe," I almost choke on saying  _"sire."_ "I apologize for not coming sooner." To my surprise, he starts to chuckle between coughs.

"No need to be so formal, warrior," He winks when he puts an emphasis on "warrior," reaching out a hand. Tentatively, I take it and he pulls me up into a standing position. "It worries me, however, that adventurers are starting out so young now. But I'm not in a good position to complain." He smiles.

"Hey, I'm an adult!" I pout, again forgetting that I'm talking to a King.

"Of course," He nods, looking like he was about to pat my head but he catches himself and stops. "You remind me of my daughter," He says, looking over at one of the monsters with several arrows sticking out of its back.

"Um…may I ask what happened here," I ask and King Alteon's expression turns grim.

"Xan…he had a second army waiting for us here. We were about to cross the bridge when someone attacked us from behind. My two-hundred and ninety-nine Elite Knights rushed back to defend us but Xan was waiting. When my Knights formed a wall, he defeated all of them with one blast," He shakes his head sadly and I didn't know what to say. If Xan can take out almost three hundred of Alteon's best in one move, how were we supposed to take him head on? "Xan disappeared after that and the rest of my Knights fought bravely. They managed to greatly reduce the enemy's numbers but there were too many."

"Everyone's gone? They're dead? All of the boots back there were theirs?" I ask, shocked. Alteon's eyes widen and he shakes his head.

"Dead? No no no, most of them fell off the bridge. There was hardly any room to fight on the bridge so everyone started to fall into the river below. They're probably still trying to swim to safety," he sighs. "This fic isn't that dark yet-"

A loud screech cuts him off and we're staring down another horde of monsters pouring out of the woods. King Alteon was in no shape to keep fighting and there was no way that I was going to stop all of them by-myself.

"I think we should run back," Alteon nods and we both start running back over the bridge. I think I heard someone yell "Run, my King!" from under the bridge.

As we near town, I could feel the intense heat chasing my ankles but luckily the adventurers are starting to move over here to defend. Many run past us and salute as they run by. When we reach the center of Falconreach, two guardians come and flank the king to protect him I guess.

"Ty! Ty!" Twilly calls to me from Ash's shoulder as he walks up to us following Eli. "King Alteon is here too!"

"Sire, I trust that you are safe," Eli says formally, bowing to King Alteon.

"I wish I could say the same for my knights," Alteon says, going on to explain the situation and I take Ash aside.

"That's the King?" He says it more like a statement then a question.

"Yeah. Unfortunately our backup couldn't make it. I helped him get away from the last few monsters attacking him but more came so we had to run back."

"That's so cool!" Ash grins. "But wait, weren't you chasing after Robina. What happened to her?"

"She's fine but with Alteon here, we shouldn't talk about her or look around for her," I say, looking over to the King and Eli. "What happened while I was gone? I heard an explosion when I was chasing Robina." I ask as more adventurers run by. "Is everyone okay?"

"Everything went great!" Ash says. "Another Bassault came along and we took it down. One of the warriors climbed up on its back while the others distracted it and cut the head off. I was worried that it was going to explode too close too close to town but I was worried for nothing. It exploded but it wasn't a big explosion. It blasted the warrior back but it didn't hurt him. When I went to look for you , almost all of the monsters were defeated. I think they're finishing off the last ones now. We can focus on the back more but geez, when is this going to end? I'm kinda tired."

"Hold up, when that Bassault exploded. What did it look like? Was it glowing or shaking or…"

"Nothing really. It made a small blast but the body itself was left intact. We tried moving it but it seems safe. The body's lost its fire and it felt cool."

"Hmmmm," I was uneasy. I'm not sure if I remember correctly but I think before I saw signs that it was going to explode, there was a brief pause before then. Maybe if Xan decided to mess with us again and extend the pause…

"Run! RUN GUYS RUN! GO GO GO!" A mage screams as he bolts past with the rest of Falconreach's forces.

"There's no time to get out! Hit the ground!"

Everyone drops once. Eli tackles the King to the ground and I push Ash and Twilly down before falling on top of them to shield them from the blast.

A full ten seconds passes by and nothing happens. Ash muffles something from under my chest and I think someone whistles for some reason.

"Anytime now." Someone says when thirty seconds roll by.

"Maybe it was a dud."

"Do you think I can make it from here to the bathroom and ba-"

A bright flash goes off in the distance and I hear a loud blast that almost bursts my eardrums. We brace ourselves for the coming shockwave and I reach out to grab anything that could anchor us…which was grass.

The shockwave send Ash, Twilly, myself and everyone else flying back. I'm slammed back on the wall of the inn, feeling the weight of Ash and Twilly squished up against me and creating cracks in the wood of the wall. My head is pounding from hitting the wall and I could only hear the ringing in my ears. I hold Ash and Twilly closer hoping that the blast won't reach us.

I could feel the heat rushing towards us and just as I think we were going to become cinder, the force keeping us against the wall disappears and we flop down on the ground. Ash rolls off of me and groans while Twilly pats my shoulder, asking if I was alright. I nod, rubbing my eyes and sit up with some strain.

We were all very close to becoming Ash's namesake. The blast had dissipated literally inches from all of us. When Ash rolled off of me, he rolled onto burnt and charred grass. Everyone somehow made it out alive but the entire East end didn't. All of the buildings and houses had been flattened leaving only faint marks on the ground where they once stood. Small pieces of debris were falling from the sky; one wood chip bounces off of my head and I scowl. The larger pieces were blasted away first; embedding themselves in trees, houses, in the ground and holy shit a huge piece of glass was stuck in the wall of the inn just above where the explosion pinned us.

"Dang it, my cape got burned." Someone complains, laughing nervously. He was trying to shake off the shock from his near death experience.

"You're worried about your cape? Do you want to know what happened to my pants?"

That comment sparks all around nervous and shaky laughter. Even the King was joining in, coughing every now and then. Ash and I were laughing too but that gets cut short.

"RUN RUN! GO!" A rogue jumps over Eli and the King and keeps running.

"Oh come on! I've had it up to here with these explosions!" I pick myself up as more people ran past. But they weren't running from an explosion.

"We seriously need backup," Ash sighs. A flood of monsters were heading our way, burning everything in sight. There were a lot of us out here since we had ample time to recover but it's going to take something extreme to make this situation worse.

"FALL BACK THE OTHER WAY!" The same rogue from before yells as he runs back then turns around again when he sees the oncoming mass of monsters like he forgot that they were the reason he was running in the first place.

"What's going on with him?" I ask as I watch more adventurers doing the same thing.

"Probably that," Ash points over to the other side of Falconreach where another multitude of Xan's minions were flowing in.

"…By any chance is the portal working?" I ask hopefully as the monsters were about to close in. All of us were backing up into the very center of town and block off the path to the guardian tower.

"Checked this morning; we still can't use it," A mage answers from behind me, holding up his staff.

I notice that the some of the guardians were pushing the King towards the guardian tower. To his credit, he doesn't look like he wants to leave.

"You know I always wanted to go out in a blaze of glory..." A warrior trails off, giving her sword a twirl. "Just not so soon."

"You guys, we aren't going to die," Ash says, keeping his voice from shaking. "We're going to win this, right Ty?"

"Yeah…" I nod, rolling my shoulders. "We're going to survive even if it kills us."

"…Seriously?" Groans come from all directions and I feel myself blushing from embarrassment.

"Way to ruin the encouraging before battle banter," The mage straightens himself and facepalms.

"That was really terrible I gotta say," Another warrior says.

"Come on guys. I didn't rehearse and how do you even come up with these one-liners so quickly? Besides, we were building to a cliché anyway!" I cross my arms and almost nick Ash's arm with my blade.

"Twillies thought that it was going well…" Twilly mumbles and I hardly even hear him.

"Well at least we were getting somewhere until you decided that you were cool." The warrior scoffs.

"Sure Mrs. "Blaze of Glory," talking about getting burned to death is definitely getting us pumped up."

"Well you can go-"

"INCOMING!" Ash shouts as he ducks a fireball and it strikes the warrior in the face and knocks her off of her feet before she can finish her sentence. Like any honorable being, I point and laugh at her before a bat rams into my back and everything erupts into chaos.

Everyone scatters and the sounds of child-like screaming fill the air. By the time people stop trampling over me and I get up and wish that I should've stayed down.

Everything is on fire, people on fire and not in the fun way, everyone's separated and unless we pull ourselves together, we're doomed.

"But we aren't doomed just yet," I grip my sword tighter and charge in swinging.

…

"One. More. Time!" A mage says through gritted teeth. He and eight other mages let loose a wide beam of ice magic and freeze the last great wave of monsters. "You're up!"

On the cue, I throw my sword blade first to the mound of ice. It stabs cleanly into the ice, creating cracks. Feeling the burn in my knees, I race to my sword and make a long high leap to land on the hilt. Both of my feet land on the crossguard and I bend my knees before I spring off, digging the sword deeper into the ice. The cracks fractures and spread across the ice mound before they deepen and shatter into millions of pieces.

"The West end is clear!" I shout triumphantly as I pick up my sword. Cheers sweep across Falconreach.

We somehow managed it and pulled through. After the initial panic and disorder, which was actually helpful since our flailing about took out more of them than us, more people came out of the tower to help us out. We organized ourselves into groups and eventually the mages came together and thought up that trick on the spot. It wiped out a ton of them but there still many left and the mages were drained from their attack. Everyone else covered for them while they recharged. We had split into two different groups to handle both ends of town. Hours went by and that last attack just now was probably the seventh or eighth time we used it. But now the West end is clear and there were even a few buildings left standing. The people on the East end were almost finished and it was about time their boss came out to play. If we keep going at this pace, we could get home before the sun fully set for once.

"That was great, Ty!" Ash calls to me as he stumbles over. Kid was literally covered from head to toe in soot and Twilly's fur had turned black.

"It okay I guess. It would have been cooler if I didn't need to pick up my sword after I broke the ice," I muse, picking out a shard of ice from my breastplate. "Maybe I should get it charmed so it'll teleport to my hand when I lose it or is that too much?"

"Sounds cool but who are you going to ask to do that for you?" Ash asks, wiping the sweat of his forehead. He makes a spear of soot across his forehead instead. "If you do, maybe you could ask them to do it for me too?"

"Sure, why not?" I smile and notice flashing coming from the East end mages. "Look, Ash! They're about to finish off the last of them. Let's go see!" I rush towards the east end as the mages prepare on last onslaught with Ash following my lead.

We maneuver past the other guardians and adventurers finishing off their opponents and soon I can see the look of excitement on the mages faces as they begin to launch the final magical ice spell that would end this war.

Except for one…his glee turns to shock and he almost backs out at the last second before composing himself and firing with all of his might with the others. It lasts less than a second but it was enough time to let me catch a glimpse of what he was looking at. A humanoid figure was standing among the monsters and he raises his hands as the ice ray is launched towards him and the monsters. His monsters; that's definitely Xan.

"Ash! It's him!" I look back to Ash, turning my back on the scene to reach out to him. I'm not sure what I was going to do but I had no time anyway.

A loud bang rings through the air once more when an intense burst of fire collides with the ice spell. We had no chance. Xan's attack bulldozes through our mage's and for a while time slows down for me. I feel droplets of water, remnants from the ice spell, hit the back of my neck. Ash's eyes were widening in surprise and he looks like he's about to say something but we were already engulfed in the rush of fire.

White hot pain stabs into every part of me and I scream so loudly that I was sure that I was going to pop my lungs. Through it all, I'm faintly aware that the attack sent me shooting through the air and once again I crash in a heap on to the ground, in too much pain to even try to cry out.

Others were though. Screams and shrieks were hitting me from all directions and I feel the earth shake. Xan was attacking the others, letting out a terrible distortion of a laugh.

Eventually I collect myself after my sharp inhales of searing hot air evened out and I gain the courage to open my eyes. My eyelids feel sticky and when look down at myself to check the damage, I almost puke but damn it. I have enough remaining pride to keep myself from doing that.

Parts of my armor were melted through and the metal was melded in my blackened burn wounds. Parts of the armor on my arms, stomach, shoulder and shins were damaged the worst even if they were enchanted and buffed like Eric had said. They are ugly wounds burned through layers of skin with my muscle and bone partially showing. They were especially bad on my fingers where three on them on my right hand were giving me a glimpse of what my bones look like. But my stomach was the worst of all. I don't even want to describe it let alone look at it. My hands were twitching and somehow by my terrible luck I had still kept my grip on my sword; most likely because my skin had melded with the hilt. The fire had burned through the magically charmed gloves and I know my augmented healing won't work fast enough.

I'm in terrible need of a red potion or eight-hundred. I try reaching into the bag that was still fastened to my waist. My hand stings as I move them and they were too shaky to even open the bag and reach in. I give up and let my hand flop on the ground; someone else can take care of this mess. I can just survive until they do.

"Decide to break some rules and form a bond with a no name town? What an idiot, Ty. Look where it got you." I couldn't tell if I said that out loud or that the voice in my head was taking over. I can't think straight but I know I sound delirious.

The screaming and overall mayhem was becoming fuzzy in my mind and I think I'm about to pass out when I notice a figure looming over me.

"HAHAHA, this one still alive?" His cackles were accompanied by the crackling of flames. "I can fix that!" The figure raises his hand and a fireball forms, ready to burn me alive.

Jerking back to full consciousness, I cough and sputter as I partially sit up and start sliding back.

"No…no…I don't want to die," I gurgle, desperately trying to inch away. I can't die here! No. "Please, leave me alone. I can't die. I don't want to." I can't disappear; not now or ever.

"I love it when they beg." His form is still fuzzy but I can tell that he has a cruel smile on his face.

"Leave…her…ALONE!" Someone shouts and swings a sword at Xan's head. Xan's head is knocked to the side a bit. He growls and ignores me in favor of the poor fool who decided to play hero.

Ah shit it was Ash.

"Ash! You idiot." I croak. You've only known me for less than a week. But now I have to reward you for your naiveté.

I could start hearing a bit more clearly now and the clashing of steel was ringing through my mind. I could tell that the Ash's attacks were weak. Ash was probably as injured as I was and was trying his best while Xan humored him. I try to reach for my red potion again but I still keep fumbling with the bag trying to ignore the pain in my burned fingers. One final clang of metal and the sound of a body falling into a heap on the ground sends me over the edge. I clench my teeth together hard and plunge my hand into the bag to feel for smooth glass, hoping to every high power and luck that it won't be a mana potion.

Once I grab a potion, I rip it out and douse myself with it. Thin red liquid flows over me and I feel strength returning and my sight's clearing. I was still beaten up and my sword probably wasn't going to cut it so how about something crazy?

With a shout I jump up and throw myself at Xan's back, reaching for the back of his unarmored head with my bare hand.

My fingers connect and I feel the surge of energy course through my body as the bastard screams from surprise and pain. When I release him, I prepare myself for the voice to take over and send me into another coma.

Anytime now. Come on, this asshole looks pretty angry. Now would be a great time.

"What the crap?" I breathe out, rechecking myself over. The voice didn't say anything and I was feeling great. Fantastic even. All of my wounds were gone and there's no trace of soot on me. It was like I hadn't even fought in the war at all.

It's just like what happens when I drain one of the undead.

"What…was…that?" He pants, flames dying down a little. He was covered in flames though that wasn't the only thing that stood out. There was something  _different._  Yeah he looked like a walking skeleton on fire decked out in red mage clothing but there was something else.

"I-I don't…" I stutter, gaping at my healed hand. Ash's whimpers from the ground shakes me out of my daze and I swallow hard before I go in to an attack stance. "You stay away from him, Toasty."

He stares at me for a few moments, expression unchanging. Then his flames start to flare up and he starts to laugh.

"You're giving me an order? How amusing," He gives his standard villain introduction as a fireball forms in his palm. "You gotta be crazier than me!" He flicks the fireball in my direction meaning to kill me and instead of jumping away, I try my luck and decide to slice through it. It was an idiotic move. That last attack he made wiped almost everyone out so now I was going to disintegrate into nothing.

My blade and the fireball collide and the flames surge by me. Astounded that I was still standing, it takes me a second to remember that I should be pushing back. I strain as I force my way through the fire ball until it dissipates into smoky mist and I'm left breathing hard from the strain.

"…Nice stick you got there," Xan taunts but I know he's surprised too. It really is strange sword and maybe I should have been more thankful to my father. This sword…I don't know what it's made of but I'll find out later. I'll definitely find out later because now I know I'm going to win. Feeling the magical energy emanating from his fire proved it.

"This…this isn't your real power is it?"

"Correct. I could easily have blasted you into dust on the ground but I didn't think it would take that much to destroy you," He smirks. "Maybe I underestimated you but not by a lot."

"And I overestimated you." I sneer, smirk forming on my lips. "This isn't your real power. Your using an amplifier. That's kinda…disappointing. Were you too much of a coward to attack a small town without some help?" I tsk, watching as the others start to move away. Those that were could still walk after Xan's attack were helping the wounded get to safety while I had him preoccupied. Eli, one leg mangled beyond disbelief, somehow hoists Ash over his shoulder. He gives me a long hard stare before he starts moving to the tower.

"So what is it? Is someone helping you out? Is it an item you got your bones on? Drugs maybe? That's a possibility too." I fake holding in a laugh. Xan's shoulders shake and hurls another fireball at me again without too much warning. Now that feel more composed, I slash through the fireball though with a bit more effort than I needed before. "I was just asking a question."

"So you can tell that I'm using the Pyronomicon to magnify my powers and that you can drain a person of their power when you touch them…No one told me about that when they asked me to attack you. But no matter," He shakes his head, preparing a larger attack.

"You know me?" I ask, keeping cool as I twirl my blade in anticipation of his spell. "I don't believe that we've met before."

"Of course not. I wouldn't be wasting my time on you if I didn't owe that brat's father a favor," Xan grumbles. "He was right about a few things though. A little girl who's barbaric, obnoxious and doesn't know when to stop talking!" He lists off, punctuating each word with a fireball aimed at my head. Smashing them away was getting much harder and I know I won't survive if he actually hits me. "You must be Ty."

"Who told you this? He sounds like a crazy ex and I have barrels of them." I breathe out, standing ready for another barrage. "But I'm guessing you want to get right to deep frying me so I'm going to have to rip the answer out of your burning skull," I smile at the prospect now that it was possible. "I just hope that you can take me on with that book. There's no way you could even touch me if you didn't have it helping you. I'd probably wipe the soot off my boot with you after I was done thrashing you around and there's no fun in that." I bluff.

"Over confident too," Xan states, a bound red book appears in his hand. "I don't need the Pyronomicon to burn you black." Blue flames light up and consume the book. It slowly crumbles into glowing cinders that drop down and crumble on the ground.

He bought the bluff and now he was going to pay.

The moment the book has completely burned away, I quickly close the distance between Xan and I. He launches another volley of attacks that fly through the air at a breakneck pace that explode as they hit the land. But without his Pyronomicon or whatever, I feel sure of myself and jump through his attacks. I feel excitement as I leap through them, slashing away the fireballs that get too close. He raises the pace of his attacks as I gain ground but I'm already on him.

"Still having a good time?" I mock as I take a slash at him. He blocks the first with his arm and the one after and the one after that. He must be armored underneath his clothes but I can be patient when I want to be.

I just need one opening.

My slashes become quicker and harder, making sparks fly as they connect with his forearm. The cloth was getting ripped up and he was getting annoyed. Another slash hits and this time he pushes it back and stomps his foot, sending up a wall of flame. I jump back with only a few burns. They didn't hurt as much and that was when I saw my chance.

Before the wall of fire completely thins and disappears, I spring through with my sword pointed to impale his chest. He takes the bait and catches the tip with the palm of his hand leaving his head exposed. I shoot my hand out and my palm hits his forehead. The fire burns me but I bear it and dig my nails into his skull. The flow of power is almost immediate. Xan starts to emit a screech that would have been loud enough to shatter concrete as he's drained of his energy. I'm going to win. As he begins to sag, I let go of him as he was about to sink down. His screeching dies down but then…it turns into high pitched laughter.

Sensing danger and a sudden change in his magic, I'm about to push off but the bastard grabs my wrist and squeezes hard enough to crack through the remaining armor. His hand sears my skin making me scream. I bounce when he slams me on the ground. A hard stomp on my chest pushes all of the air out of my lungs and keeps me down.

"That was interesting. You looked so hopeful when you thought that you could win and I admit that you might have had a chance…"He sneers looking down on me, flames burning intensely in his sockets. The book reappears unharmed floating behind him. "…but I'm not a fool." He was just joking around; he must have cloaked his magic to make it appear normal.

An intense flame surrounds him as he prepares for one final attack on me. With renewed panic, I grab his leg and pull as hard as I could.

"NO! I'm not going to die!" I cry out and my arms make him shift. Before he or I knew it, I make him slip up his footing. I take the chance to roll away, nearly missing a fireball fired my way. I jump to my feet and go back on the defensive.

"I was sent here to return the favor and humiliate you and it's working. He didn't ask me to kill you so maybe I'll let you run with you tail between your legs. I bet you can evade me dear slippery fish. " He laughs gleefully. "It was interesting to see you in action but that little trick is the only thing that's special. Just get out of my way and let me finish destroying this insignificant little village. I have more important things to attend to."

"…No," I resolve through clenched teeth and I can barely conceal my shaking. Everything in my body was screaming at me to run; this isn't a fight you can win. If I do run, what'll happen to Ash and the others? I'm the only thing standing in between them and Xan. Against all that my family and I stand for, I couldn't leave them. They saw what kind of a monster I could be and they accepted me without even batting an eye. This one little town in an out of the way dimension somehow dug it's way so far into my heart that I was ready to put my life my line for them. I won't let them burn away. I can't let them burn away. "Like you would have let me run away in the first place."

"Hmmm, no. You're right. Can't let everyone think that I have mercy from time to time." He smiles, flames burning high and bright. It's practically blinding and I can't fight him up front. I couldn't trick him either. The only thing that could potentially hurt him was my draining touch and I didn't know what else he could do with the Pryonomicon.

That just means that I have to trust myself to be quick on my feet. One hit and it's all over

It's a slight movement on his part that scares me into movement. I charge straight at him, jumping past the fireballs that Xan fires on me. The fear was helping me run faster and I'm on him before he could get back.

Once again, I strike at him nonstop and he seems surprised by how hard I was hitting. I'm surprised too; I was probably fighting harder because of my dire situation. He keeps blocking with his arms and the cloth gets torn away even more, revealing the rest of his armored glove and partially revealing his unarmored arm.

I press onward and red sparks fly. He blocks each time but finds no chance to attack. He first tries a close range fireball but I cut through it as he tries to form one. He tries the wall of fire again but I bear the intense heat as it burns into my exposed skin.

Frustrated, he propels himself away by firing jets of fire at the ground. I leap closely after him and keep attacking as he blocks. Finally I get another opening and I swing at his skull and actually create a small gash across his mandible. Furious, he grabs my blade meaning to stop me.

I was waiting for that.

I had kept landing my strikes on his arm and it wore away at his sleeves and parts of his armored glove. There was enough to grab on to. My free ungloved hand darts out and grabs his exposed forearm. Xan attempts to jerk his arm out of my grip but I refuse to budge. Before, I had let go of him to early and the Pyronomicon had restored his power. Maybe if I just hang on, it'll drain him completely and I can finish him off before his amplifier could heal him.

As the shift of energy begins, Xan laughs and lets his arm go up in a blaze. Even then I hang on and even keep slashing him and now I think it's actually doing damage. White hot pain was shooting through me but if I let go now, he'll attack immediately and I'll go down in one shot. My healing factor won't make a difference if I die on the spot. I cannot let go. Even if the skin on my hand burns away I won't let go. My bones will still be wrapped around his arm until he dies.

His flames burn even hotter and higher as he keeps at shaking me off with one arm and blocking my sword strikes with the other. I just need one more minute.

"You aren't making it any easier for you," Xan warns. "Just give up and your death won't be as agonizing," Liar; he has fifty seconds before he's drained.

My grip slips for a split second and he almost yanks away but I grab on again. Not yet, just a little while more. One of my attacks slashes his side and I can see him falter.

Xan uses every ounce of power that he can get from the Pyronomicon to repel me but my sword connects with his side again and he cringes. Thirty seconds more.

Then the temperature drops just a little bit and Xan knows that it's all over now.

It's over with twenty-five seconds to spare because I slip away for real. I couldn't take it anymore; my body gave away before my mind did. I don't think there are any muscles left in my hand to hold on to his arm.

Once he feels my clutch sliding off, he blasts me into the ground. I can't feel it though. I don't feel anything.

"This…is it," Xan says, after catching his breath. I can hardly see him. Blackness was overtaking my vision. I'm not going to make it. "You're still alive? Even after that? I would like to say that I was impressed with you but compared to me and the Pyronomicon, you were just another block of wood that burned in the fire today." Xan prepares his last attack and I feel my eyes closing.

Just before I black out completely, a spark or flame appears behind him and he stops the spell. Not that it would've made a big difference. That just meant that I'm disappearing slowly into the dark instead of going out in a blaze of glory.

… **...**

_"Over here!"_

_"Are we too late?"_

_"I've never seen anyone hurt this badly."_

_"Can you do anything?"_

_"I'm trying."_

_"Well try harder!"_

_"I'm trying as best as I can but…Just give me some time. I can do it."_

_"Ty! Ty! Come back please! You just woke up!"_

_"Don't you go sleeping again. You were out for a week already, sleepyhead. So hurry up and stop being so lazy!"_

_"I'm sorry…I don't think…"_

_"No. NO! Ty, he's gone. You kept everyone safe. Don't put a damper on the after party."_

_"Twillies promised that you were going to be safe. Pwease, Ty. Twilly hates breaking promises. Pwease."_

_"It's…I'm sorry but please stop. You aren't doing any good."_

_"Get your hands off of me."_

_"Ty?"_

_"OUT OF THE WAY! GET OUT OF THE WAY!"_

_"Hey, who do you think you are?"_

_"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!"_

What's going on? Am I dead?

_"Damn it, Ty! Wake up!"_

_"What are you doing?"_

_"Will you shut up for a bit? Sator Arepo Curaga Tenent Vinculum…_

_"Woah. Are you going to be okay? Is Ty going to be okay?"_

_"Ty! Is it working? Tell me it's working. Ty, can you hear me?"_

Voices…I can hear Twilly crying, Ash is yelling at someone, so is Reens, I hear Eli faintly, Aria was sobbing and Grams was there too. There was also someone trying to hawk his weapons. A loud shrill voice was chanting furiously…Zelia?

"Ty! Ty! Wake up!"

A slap across my face jolts me awake. I blink twice, staring up at a shooting star that just shot across the night sky. I'm dimly aware of a commotion going on as my senses begin to sharpen. I could feel my arms and legs and I wasn't in much pain anymore.

I soon realize that a multitude of worn adventurers, guardians and villages were standing around me. Reens was kneeling beside me, hand over her mouth and shaking from either fright or joy. Serenity, Eli and even the King, flanked by a few knights, were standing over me. All of them looked too relieved for proper words. Konnan, I noticed late, is squatting beside me with his arm reached out to touch my shoulder, concern wrought his face. Aria and Grams were standing beside us. Grams was doing her best to calm Aria who may have started to yell through her angry tears but my hearing still feels plugged. Ash was on his knees, clutching my arm tight like he was afraid I was going to suddenly float away. Twilly was sobbing into my chest. Oh and that weird green Cysero orb had been moved here as well. I have no idea why.

"Guys? What's going on? Did I faint?" I ask as I slowly sit up and hold Twilly against my chest. There weren't as many wounds on me as I thought there would be or maybe it was because they were healing me. "Is everyone okay?"

"Even on the doorway to death, you're still kawaii." A girl wearing a lacy dress with floral print was lying on her side beside me. Her long orange hair was spread across the charred grass as she stares up at me. Faint bruises and burns mark her skin.

"Zelia?"

"That name was so last month. I go by Alison now." She winks weakly and looks like she's ready to fall asleep. "At least thank me for saving your life. I'm going to have to be bedridden for the next few weeks because of the damage share spell. Give me a moment. I just need to rest my eyes for a minute. Don't bother me. I'll be up to bust your ass soon enough." Her eyes close and she falls asleep.

"Ty! Why are you so weak?" Aria yells at me as she breaks away from Grams' hold.

"Well excuse me, I-" Aria stops me when she jumps and hugs me tightly. Ash takes his cue to do the same despite his peers watching.

"You're okay. You're okay." Ash repeats to either me or himself as he clings on. Konnan still had his hand placed on my shoulder and squeezes comfortingly. Reens and Serenity come over too.

"Xan left. You held him off and he went away. We saw him leave from the tower but you were still lying on the ground. We came out to get you but…you were heavily injured and I'll spare you the details. We tried healing you ourselves but it didn't work. We all thought you were long dead but then your sister pushed through us and preformed some sort of spell." Konnan explains solemnly.

"Come one guys. Give her some room," Reens says and the others reluctantly comply. Both she and Serenity help me stand. "You went and got everyone worried again. Is this going to be a regular thing with you?" She brushes the dirt off of me affectionately and Serenity was still sniffling a bit

"No, of course not," I tell both of them. Eli and the King were standing in front of me and behind them stood the remains of Falconreach smoking and littering the ground. "Forgive me," I apologize as I step forward away from and Reens and Serenity to bow to Eli. "I couldn't stop him from destroying Falconreach. I've let you down and I don't think I can make ever make up for it."

"There's no need for that," Eli shakes his head and the other adventurers and guardians murmur their agreement. "You held him off and let everyone get to safety. We were pretty burned up but Twilly and the other healer fixed us up as much as they could."

"Ye were the only one who could stand up to Xan!" The bald barber says. He's Patch I think. He was standing next to Yulgar and Konnan who just stood up.

"We would all be dead if it weren't for you. That maniac, Xan would have burned us into cinders." Yulgar nods and Konnan looks away in deep thought.

"Everyone's fine and that's the important thing." Ash says, coming up next to me.

"Twillies told you you're a hero, Ty," Twilly chirps happily.

"You're such a big dummy, Ty," Aria says, hugging my waist. "The town may be destroyed but we're still here. We can rebuild the town and hey, you still managed to save one unburned board." She points to a group of adventurers holding up a pristine wooden board.

"All we need is one! I think this came from the outhouse and that's a great place to start!" A rogue jokes and I laugh. Everyone does and it's uplifting to see how hardy these people are. I'm…I'm very proud to say that they took me in.

"Yes, we can rebuild Falconreach. And with all of you incredible people working towards it; Falconreach will be rebuilt and it will never fall again!" The crowd lets out a rowdy cheer and then the King steps towards me, red cloth in hand. I pass Twilly over to Ash when everyone goes silent.

"If I may, I would like to congratulate you. You stood against all odds against Xan and I would like you-"

"Excuse me, King whatever," Zeli-I mean Alison steps in. "I would like to have a word with you first," She says sounding quite pissed. "I'm very happy that you're all ready to go celebrate not dying and rebuilding this fireplace but let me just…rain on the party just a bit," She steps forward, facing the King down even if she was much shorter than him. "You all have to be the most despicable beings in existence," To my horror and bewilderment of everyone else, she spits at his feet in a clear sign of disrespect. "How could you make my pregnant sister fight your retarded war?"

Wha…pregnant? Wha…

Literally everyone in the vicinity lets their jaws drop and I couldn't even say a word. There must have been a grand case of miscommunication.

"Oh no, TY!" Serenity screams, rushing to me and placing a hand on my flat and non-pregnant stomach. "Do you feel any pain? Please tell me! Is the baby okay?"

"I'm-"I try explaining but now everyone's talking. Ash and Serenity are freaking out and asking if I felt any abdominal pains, Aria lets go of my waist and falls backwards, Reens and Grams are digging around their packs for something. Medicine perhaps. Patch looks seasick, Yulgar seems like he's trying to process the news and Konnan was on the ground again. My sister was literally shrieking at the poor King who looks like he might just melt into a puddle on the spot. Everyone else was making a commotion and the entire time the Cysero orb was asking if anyone wanted to buy contraceptives.

I try to talk over them and explain but everyone was being too loud.

"Guys, stop. I'm not-"

"You royals are the most shameful kind of people in-"

"Ty, maybe you should lie down. The baby might-"

"Contraceptives! Contraceptives! Get them while you can or you'll get pregnant and die!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorr-"

"I'll take five!"

"I AM NOT PREGNANT! NO BABIES EVER AFTER! NO LITTLE DEMON SPAWNS RUNNING AROUND THE HOUSE! NO, HELL NO! NO BABIES! I-" Ash pokes me and I notice everyone had stopped talking. "Ehem, I'm not pregnant." I say quieter, walking over to Zeli-Alison. "It's okay…this King's actually isn't a bad person." I whisper to her.

"What? But…Emesto told me that you were going to be a dragon's mommy," Alison says and I was growing very uncomfortable. I could hear the others talking about it behind us. Some were asking if it was possible and others were wondering about the father.

"Who told Emesto the news?"

"Um…Justine I think."

"Who told her?"

"Somebody."

"I think you guys just had a funny game of "telephone" that got out of hand. I'm not pregnant with a dragon baby." I explain to Alison who was quickly becoming disappointed. That's really unnerving. "I didn't get knocked up by some dragon. Sorry, I guess."

"So you're telling me that you aren't pregnant." Alison says, crossing her arms in irritation. "I was getting excited and everything! I even healed you more than I needed to thinking that I was saving the baby! I'm very weakened now and there isn't even a dragon daddy to take my anger out on. Not even a dude with a name that's dragony."

"I don't think dragony is a word," I sigh. "And I can't let you beat up Ash."

"He's the daddy?" Alison asks, looking over my shoulder at the now pale Ash. Everyone else glares at him and he stutters.

"Such a player, Ash." Someone notes.

"No, I told you guys already! I just woke up in bed without clothes…no memory…next to…underwear…lavender…" He trails off, looking defeated.

"No, he's a very good friend with a dragony last name. And now I'm saying it." I groan. "Look, let's clear it up with everyone else later." I hug Alison before I address the King.

"Ah…you were saying, King Alteon?" I ask the King who was trying very hard not to laugh.

"Oh, yes." He coughs, swallowing a chuckle. "Against all odds, you stood your ground as you faced Xan and saved Falconreach. Ty, become the three hundred and first of my Elite Knights!" He announces, swinging the red cape over my shoulders and letting it rest on my back. I must look pretty awe inspiring telling from the faces of the others.

"Thank you." I kneel before him, not a feeling of discontent in my body. "May I ask what happened to the three hundredth knight?"

"Let's not talk about that now," He says, waving the question off. "I must go back to Swordhaven but I will send supplies and help as soon as I can."

"Thank you, sire." I say, standing up. "We should start to rebuild as soon as we can…but can we lie down for a while first. I think we need to rest a bit."

"Yeah, I don't think I can stay awake any longer." Someone agrees.

"Come on guys! We start first thing in the morning," Eli states. "It might take a while though. We have to gather enough gold to do so and that might take weeks. Once we do-"

"Can we sleep on it sir?" A guardian asks.

"Right, let's get the tents set up! King Alteon, if I may get you an escort party back to Swordhaven."

"Of course Eli. I wish you the very best, Ty," The King says to me before walking away with Eli. The other guardians follow him and as the walk past me, they pass words of thanks and acknowledgement to me. The adventures separate as well, going off to make put up their tents.

"Sorry to say this Alison but I'm going to have to ask you to crash in a tent with some others." I say to Alison but she shakes her head.

"No need for that. When I passed Oaklore, I found one of those green orbs and it gave me a good deal on a house. The furniture is being moved in as we speak." Alison says. "You're going to have to help me along though. Thanks to your  _heroics,_ I can't fight for a while. C'mon Ty. I don't think anyone's going to stop you from leaving to go home."

"Okay but..." I look at the others.

"Aria and I are going to get a tent ready. We'll see you tomorrow," Grams smiles, walking up with Aria and pats my stomach. "You gave this old lady quite a scare but it all worked out in the end," She jokes and I smile, embarrassed. "You have one spunky sis too."

"Mind if I sleep in with you guys?" Reens asks Grams.

"I was just going to ask if you wanted to."

"Thanks. Hey, Ty and Alison right?" Reens says. "Looking back, we were pretty unprepared but next time I promise that there'll be enough potions to go around in war times. Come by the shop when we fix it up. I'll teach you Alchemy and we'll make your potions work better." She flashes me a thumbs up and she, Grams and Aria walk off.

"See you soon!" Aria calls back as they head west.

"Drop by and get a haircut later, lass." Patch says and pats my head before he leaves.

"Konnan and I will get the tent up and resume business tomorrow. Come by and we'll take a look at your armor and weapons. Give them a touch up while we're at it. They look like they need it," Yulgar says, with Konnan beside him. "I also didn't get to thank you for bringing Konnan back. Hopefully he won't cause any more trouble for you from now on." Yulgar continues, giving a pointed look at Konnan.

"No, it's okay. Don't worry about it." I say quickly, not wanting to embarrass Konnan further.

Both of them nod and head off. Konnan looks back and mouths something to me as they go. I think he said "come talk later."

"Take care and come by soon," Serenity hugs me tight before she leaves as well.

"Look at you, Ty. Making friendly with the humans." Alison whispers to me on her tippy toes. Ash was still standing around with Twilly on his shoulder looking reluctant to leave. "Hey girly eyes. Do you have somewhere to stay?" Alison asks, noticing me looking at him.

"Um…I'll probably bunk with some other adventurers or something…" he says, not noticing what Alison called him.

"…Would you like to stay with us?" I ask hopefully.

"Yeah! I mean…if you're okay with it."

"I need someone make fun of anyway," Alison begins limping towards the eastern part of town. "Let's go people. I need to go dry my supply of headless snakes."

"Yay! Sleepover at Ty's!" Twilly cheers as we follow after my sister leaving for the woods. As we're about to step out of Falconreach, someone whistles at us from up on a bare and burned tree that was somehow still standing.

Robina was lying on one of the branches. She winks at the two of us and waves as we leave.

…

"Are you sure we're going the right way?" Ash asks as we pass a fallen tree trunk for the fifth time. We were deep in the unburned part of Surewood Forest. We had left the path awhile back and had been walking around for the past twenty minutes in the dark looking for the house.

"Is it dangerous for young girls to go out and play during Walpurgisnact?" Alison replies.

"She means yes." I yawn as we trudge along, keeping a lookout for monsters. It was much cooler in the woods and that was a great reprieve from the past few days.

"Wait," My sister says, stopping in front of a tree. The trunk had split into two large branches quite close to the ground and there was a large gap between them. Alison knocks on the first branch twice and traces a circle on the other. "Now we can jump through." She says, gingerly stepping through the gap before she keeps going.

"Uh…" Ash looks on, confused with Twilly passed out on his shoulder.

"Just go with it. Trust me." I tell Ash before stepping through. Ash does the same and we continue through the dark woods but now I could see something glowing in the distance between the branches and leaves of a wall of bushes.

"And here we are," Alison stops in front of the wall and pulls one of the bushes aside. Behind them stands a small cottage with lit lamps hanging by the door in a clearing. The grass was cut neatly around it and the house itself seems tidy as well.

All of us walk up to the front door which was on a clean wooden porch. A mat was left on the doorstep and mandrakes were hanging from the door. Damn it Alison.

"Don't touch those, Ash." I warn him as Alison opens the door. All of us step in and Ash and I gape at the interior. Ash was gaping in awe and I was gaping in annoyed disbelief.

"How is it? A lot of living space, right?" There was a ton of living space. The roof was low and I don't think there was a second floor but the house was wider on the inside then it was on the outside. Way wider than we needed. The main was already furnished with some couches, chairs and bookshelves and many doors lined the walls. The entrance had a shoe shelf, coat hanger, umbrella stand and closet by the door. From there, it literally looks like it stretched for miles.

"Alison, where's the bathroom?"

"Twenty miles down that way," She points way down the hall.

…

"Hurry up and get in," I say to Ash as I push him through the door with Alison coming in behind me. All of us had just finished washing up and bandaging ourselves. Twilly did all that he could but he said that it would be better if we used some of the medical supplies we had instead of magic. He said something about our big cuts and burns healing and closing properly and Alison agreed.

"Wow, what's this room called?" Ash asks in awe. The room was quite dim save for the floating glass bobbles that glowed around the room. In the center is a big white couch and I pull him over to sit down on it.

"This is the communication room," I say, grabbing one of the blankets that Alison had brought with us. "You'll see what it's for soon enough."

"Can't wait to explain this mess," Alison grumbles, taking a look at a clock on the back wall. "We're lucky we just got ready on time. Five…four…three…two…one."

All of the balls become brighter and float closer to the couch. In each one, a picture starts to form and muffled voices begin to echo around the room.

"…Is this thing on?" A familiar voice asks, tapping his end of the screen. "There we go. Everyone here?" The voice asks as the images in each glass ball becomes clearer. "Who's here?"

"Ty here." I say, wrapping myself and a wide-eyed Ash in a fluffy blanket. Twilly sitting in my lap gaping as well.

"Alison too. It's Alison now; not Zelia. We're in a place called Lore. Usual fantasy fairies, dragons and stuff."

"Emesto is sleepy," Emesto whines groggily from one of the images. In it, his tuff of brown hair was sticking out from the cover of a bed, hugging and drooling on a pillow. Beside him was a window with a desert scenery rushing by. The pink curtains rustled as the image bumps and moves. "Bradley and Nova are here too. They went to get a midnight snack from the on-board restaurant. Oh and we're on the Excess Express heading to Poshley Heights. Let me sleep now," He yawns, turning over and muttering something about hugging a penguin.

"Justine is at a bar in a nice town," Justine says from another image. She was sitting at a booth sipping a pink drink. A neon light sign saying "The Stray Sheep" hung from a window nearby. Justine is my older sister and mentor. Her hair and eyes were silver and she is stunningly beautiful, especially to me. She taught me everything I knew from my academics to my gymnastics and fighting style. "A friend of mine owns it and he's letting me stay here. Hopefully Ishtar doesn't get the wrong idea."

"Eric and Blaire here, settled nicely into a place called New Meridian. An associate of mine is letting us stay at his estate. We're at a small get together right now." Eric was sitting at a booth as well with Blaire sitting next to him, engrossed in a book. Blaire's hair is stark white and she was wearing glasses over her red eyes. A piano was playing a jazzy tune in the background and reminded me of how Blaire would play me my favourite jazz songs on the piano in the library even if she didn't care for it much herself. "A jazz band's going to start playing soon. I think you'll like that, Ty." Eric smiles. Blaire just nods and continues to read her book.

"Bradley's back," Emesto groans when a light coming from an open sliding door falls on his head.

"Excuse my tardiness," Bradley states. The image moves to show him walking in and closing the door behind him. He was piggybacking little Nova as she snoozes. "I trust that everyone is doing well?" He asks, sitting down on the bed and tucking in Nova beside Emesto.

"Everyone that's here," I sigh.

"Father is busy with some errands tonight and John and Saiya can't make it," Eric says. "And…I'm sure that Arisa and Lyla are doing well. Zain says "hi" too."

"John's not joining us. Good riddance. I needed some time away from his nagging," Justine sips her drink. "And who's the pretty one sitting beside you, Ty? Is it the father?" She smiles and Ash promptly covers his head in the blanket.

"Okay, let's get this clear. I am raising a baby dragon. Not giving birth to it. Just no." I say. "How did you even get to the point where I was somehow pregnant with a dragon?"

"I said that you were going to raise a dragon," Eric says, shrugging.

"Eric informed me and I explained that you were going to nurture a baby dragon," Bradley says, smoothing out Nova's hair.

"Bradley told me and I told Emesto that you were going to have a baby dragon," Justine says.

"Mmmm, Justine told me and I told Alison that you were going to be a dragon's mommy." Emesto says from under the blanket."

"Dang it guys," I groan pulling Ash out of the covers. "Anyway, this is Ash. He's a good friend and I gave him permission to come in and converse with us. He's cool."

"Hi." Ash says weakly.

"Hey guys, this is the kid I was telling you about. The one that sneezes when the mood gets tense." Eric jokes.

"What kind of  _mood?"_  Justine asks, languidly finishing her drink as Ash gulps.

"Quit teasing him; he's a good guy." I defend him.

"What happened to you?" Blaire asks, closing her book and taking another out from under the table.

"I'll let Ty explain this one. I need to rest." Alison slumps down on the couch.

"Wait one moment. If it isn't urgent, could you tell us later. The jazz show's about to start." Eric says, turning his attention in the direction of where I think the stage was.

"Gladly, I'm way too tired to even talk about that ordeal."

"Ty, what's jazz?"

"You'll see, Ash. It's a genre of music that really jazzy...cool I guess. Something great to listen to at night."

"I'll see you later, I need to talk business and pleasure with some friends," Eric says, waving at all of us. "Here, I'll let you see the stage. Blaire isn't going to do anything funny anyways." Eric snaps his fingers and the image turns to the stage. The brass players were tuning up and the pianist was helping his friend carry the cello up. "Now if you excuse me. Well if it isn't Mr. Medici and the lovely Cerebella!" Eric calls to his friends before the band starts to play a number.

"Sounds nice," Justine sighs. "I need another drink though. Samantha, refill please." Justine says to the waitress.

"I'm going to turn in," Bradley says, climbing up to the bunk above Nova's and Emesto's bed. I didn't notice that it was there before.

"Leave the music on," Nova sighs, hugging on to Emesto. "Emesto and I like it," Emesto nods absentmindedly and hugs Nova back.

"So…" I begin as the piano player begins to sing. "Is everything okay, Ash?"

"Yeah…your family seems nice," Ash blushes.

"Can I talk to you about something?"

"Sure."

"Why did you try to stop Xan?"

"He was going to hurt you so I tried to stop him," Ash says, scratching the back of his head. "I still ended up passed out and you had to step again. Sorry."

"You saved me and I'll be angry if you apologize for that. I'm just wondering why you would put your life on the line for someone you only knew for a few days." I fiddle around with the edge of the blanket as I speak to him. Twilly was listening intently to the musing, swaying with the beat. I don't think he was paying attention to us."

"But we're friends and you would have done the same for me or anyone else!" Ash says, leaning back on the couch.

"Not anyone. If you didn't step in to help me, everyone would have died. I just wanted to know that. Thank you by the way."

"Ah…your welcome!" He smiles brightly, not thinking too much about what I said. I stare at it for a while before I speak again.

"You probably have a lot of questions. I mean, look where you are now and at what I'm showing you. You must have a ton," I look over to the image of the band playing.

"Yeah but…are you okay with answering them? Because if you aren't, it's fine. I can wait as long as it takes for you to trust me."

"Ash," I groan into my hands. "You're too precious!" He tips his head at me, confused and I couldn't help but pinch his cheek again. "Let me at least answer one question that you have tomorrow morning. Think on it and I'll tell you what you want to know."

"Is it okay?" He asks hopefully. "And yeah, I'm confused but it's really nice that you're letting me in to see your awesome house."

"Of course," I say, reaching into the bag that was still attached to my waist. "And before I forget. Robina said that you were interested in this." I say, pulling out one of my books. "After we got back from the first Bassault explosion, I got my package back from Serenity safe and sound. I thought you'd like to read more of it once the war was over. Do you still want to see it?" I say, looking into his eyes.

"That'd be great!" He says eagerly and I open the book to the last entry he saw.

"So you were reading about the colossus?" I ask, reading off of the page using the glowing light from the glass bobbles. We read into the night with the jazz band playing in the background for hours until we both fall asleep from exhaustion; comfortable and safe.

…

I couldn't sleep for long. Something was still nagging at my mind.

When I woke up, I check the clock and it's still going to be some time before the sun rises. Alison and Ash are sleeping on the couch and I'm careful to step off so that I don't disturb them.

My bare feet pad against the cool wooden floor as I walk past the now dimmer floating crystal balls. The jazz band had long finished playing and the image was now fixed on Eric and Blaire sleeping in a luxurious room compliments to their powerful mafia friends. The train that Bradley, Emesto and Nova are on is still moving and the sun was about to rise in their world. Justine on the other hand was still awake and drinking at the bar.

"Can't sleep, honey?" She asks, toying with the cherry in her glass. Her eyes shone like the moon that was still presently high in the sky wherever she was.

"Something's on my mind," I say, sitting down on the floor. "I'm going to sort through my things in my bag. It might jog my memory and I need to organize it anyway." I begin to take out the items starting from the garbage to the weapons.

"Have you heard from Father? It's been awhile since I saw him."

"I saw him five days…I mean about a week and a half ago," I say, piling up empty potion bottles and throwing knives. I need to sharpen them soon.

"I'm sure he's fine," I continue, getting to organizing the weapons. Clubs, swords and spears were starting to crowd the floor around me as I sort through them. These were from when I stole from Drakath and his idiots.

"So I hear that you're training as a warrior. Too bad I'm not there. I could give you some pointers. How is it working out for you?"

"You know, it's not actually that bad. When Father first told me, I thought that is was going to be a lo…?" I stop, holding up something that I didn't remember stealing.

"What do you have there, Ty?" Justine asks.

"Pants," I reply, holding up a pair of black pants. Then it all came back to me.

_"I was sent here to humiliate you…"_  Xan's words ring in my head and the picture of Drakath getting mauled by the fire breathing raccoon appears in my head.

_"I'll find a way to get back at you."_  Drakath said that after he lost the duel for the black box, glaring at me with his pretty green eyes.

"How in the world would that loser know someone like Xan?" I whisper to myself, holding up the pair of pants.

When I was finishing looting Drakath's camp, I remember grabbing something from under the cot from a small chest. It felt like a piece of fabric and here it was. It helped me figure out who used his connections to put me through hell, humiliate me and make me realize that I needed to become much stronger.

I stole Drakath's pants.

Oops.

"I'm going to go sleep on this." I get up and walk back to the couch with the pants still in hand.

"You are?" Justine asks. "Sweet dreams then."

"Goodnight." I yawn, snuggling between Ash and Alison.

I have to say that I'm impressed with him. Very impressed. I don't know who his father is or how he got someone like Xan to do his bidding but he isn't going to get the last laugh.

I'm going to go visit him soon.

Maybe he'll want his pants back.


	15. Downtime, For the Most Part

"Wakey wakey eggs and breaky," Someone, probably Alison, pokes my head. "Hey…why are you hugging a pair of pants?" The comment makes me jolt awake and I find myself lying on the white couch in the now well lit room. Rubbing my tired eyes, I notice that Alison was looking up to me from her spot on the couch. Ash was sitting on the ground talking with one of my siblings through a low floating crystal ball.

Rough cloth was rubbing my face and I'm wondering why I was hugging a pair of pants while I was sleeping. Oh wait…right. It's his pants. I guess I was too sleepy to notice that I had taken them to sleep with me…It's kind of a creepy thing to do now that I realize it but it doesn't matter.

"Morning Alison," I yawn, sitting up and throwing off the covers. The lights coming from the floating crystals range from soft morning sunlight to the artificial brightness lamps hanging on the wall of a fancy apartment. "And the pants? Well…they're something I nicked from some asshole by accident."

"Does that mean you're going to return them?" Alison asks, raising a brow from her spot on the couch.

"Pfft, no," I answer, sliding off the couch with the pants in hand. "I might decide to mess with that guy later." Just some payback maybe.

"Well whoever it is…he doesn't have very nice hips. Seems a tad too tubby for my taste," She comments with a frown as she eyes the pants with disdain. "But I'm not going to judge you if you are." She throws in nonchalantly. I snort at the notion and fold the pants before putting them in my bag.

"Here," Alison says, handing me my usual pair of black gloves. New white swirling designs were sewn into them and I look at Alison questioningly. "They got set on fire which should have been impossible. I made them stronger for you and hopefully they won't burn up again…or make you go nuts." She shrugs. "I'm heading to the bathroom. Just go to the kitchen if you want something to eat. I'll be there later." She says, leaving through the door and closing it on her way out. "By the way," She begins, sticking her head back into the room. "That little red furry rabbit left early. He wants you to visit the priestess later." With that, she closes the door and leaves for the kitchen.

"You wanna be an Archknight? That sounds cool. You look like a hero too." Nova says through a mouthful of food and Ash smiles proudly.

"I guess I do," Ash replies, puffing up his chest. "But that's still a ways away. I still need to get better and I don't even know where I'm going to find a princess in distress to save." He sighs as I walk over and sit next to him. Through the image on the floating crystal ball, Nova was sitting at a neatly set table eating a plate of what look like sautéed mushrooms by a window. Bradley and Emesto weren't around. Nova was gazing at Ash pensively. Now with the sun shining, you could see Nova much more clearly. By all appearances, Nova looks like a ten year old girl with uneven curly pigtails. Her eyes were a royal red color which was quite warming to gaze into. A smile tugs at her mouth and she leans in closer over the table to us.

"You know...if you need a quick way to get power or status, I could work out something with you," Nova offers and Ash looks back in interest and some confusion. "I like you. You're a very nice boy. If it's strength or skill that you need then I can make a good deal with you."

"Nova," Bradley walks up behind her chair and wraps an arm around her shoulder. "Don't tease him. Ty says he's her friend so no cheap deals," Bradley scolds her softly, kissing her forehead.

"Eh? I wasn't going to do anything bad!" She protests and Bradley and I share a look. Bradley isn't very tall; he only comes up to my shoulder but he can be very intense if wants to. Right now, he seems more relaxed than he was in months. He's cute, though not as much as Ash, with his dark bluish hair slicked back and his golden eyes weren't hidden with magic today. It was a small detail that probably no one but my family would see but one of his eyes was slightly lighter than the other.

"Be careful of what you're getting into, Ash. Cute faces don't automatically mean good things." I look at Nova pointedly.

"Uh, yeah. That's sound advice but that goes for any kind of person you run into right?"

"Even me?"

"It's been great so far." He shrugs. "But what did your sister mean by a deal?" He whispers to me.

"Is that question that you chose?"

"Yes-wait no! That's not the one!" He replies, quickly retracting the question.

"I wasn't going to eat his soul or turn him into a magical boy if that's what you mean," Nova pouts quietly and I'm sure Ash didn't hear it…or maybe chose not to react.

"Sure Nova. By the way, where's Emesto?" I ask, trying to look behind them. Another passenger passes by their table and the waitress passes by. Ash hasn't said a word about how differently their dressed from what he's used to but then again, I haven't seen much of this world. Maybe he's used to this kind of stuff.

"Wow, Lore sure is different when you travel out far." Or not.

"I'm sure it is." I laugh quietly at his obliviousness but that's not his fault.

"Emesto's under the table," Nova says, chomping on another bite of her mushrooms. She kicks and a yelp comes from under the table.

"I'm hungry and there isn't anything to eat besides mushrooms!" Emesto's head pops out from under the white table cloth. "There are too many mushrooms around here. I don't like mushrooms." He sticks his tongue out.

"Not so loud," Bradley sighs. "You don't want the chef to hear you. If you were hungry, you could have just asked me to buy you something to eat from the store."

"All they have are more mushrooms, tonic and maple syrup. And so what if the chef hears me. Nova and I can just cook that dumb fish."

"Don't be rude, Emesto. And the correct term is Cheep-Cheep." Bradley corrects him. "I'll find something for you alright?"

"Bradley, you're such a good parent," I tease him and he scowls a little. "But that reminds me. Are you hungry, Ash?"

"Just a little but I can wait if you need to talk to your family." Ash says but I think wanted to keep talking to my siblings and see the different places they were in.

"Morning, Ty dear," One of the other crystals floats down towards us, showing us an image of Eric and Blaire. They were sitting outside on a high balcony overlooking a huge bustling city. Car horns were honking and I could see a huge building with a bright neon sign on the top. The building was also next to a pretty big freakin cemetery. The town looks really interesting. I'm kinda jealous. I wonder what Ash is making out of all of this though.

"Justine's still in the bathroom I think," Eric says, reclining back in his chair. "She'll be out soon. And hey look, what's the little kid still doing here? How's he enjoying the sights? No nagging questions yet kiddo?" He asks, stretching his arms. Blaire was in the chair beside him, still reading her book with a small glass of orange juice in her lap. She doesn't say anything or even look up.

"Not very important ones and those can wait," Ash replies steadily.

"So…any news from those who couldn't make it last night?" I ask, breaking the tense moment.

"Nothing from what I heard. Justine was up the entire night I think," Bradley says, pulling out a chair and taking a seat by Nova.

"She told me that the nothing happened last night." Nova says.

"That's strange," I yawn, still feeling a bit groggy. Both Ash and I were still tired from the war and I think Alison wasn't faring much better after casting her spell.

"So are you going to tell us what happened or what?" Nova says, finishing her plate. "I'm sure your story's the most interesting one out of all of us. We just ended up at that gross port town and stayed there for a while before we got ahold of tickets to get on the train."

"Blaire and I ended up in the middle of town," Eric says. "Thankfully I borrowed a phone and arranged lodging for the both of us with my acquaintances. We've just been sight-seeing for the last while but it's starting to get dangerous around town. I don't think we should go out as often anymore."

"The rumors are starting up about that gem," Blaire states curtly. "I can feel it. If you were here, Ty, you might get a rush from the energy I'm feeling in the air." Ash was about to ask me what Blaire meant but remembered that he could only ask one personal question. I don't think asking what my siblings are talking about would count as very personal but I'm glad.

That's a question that's best avoided for now and maybe forever.

"So, you going to tell us or not?" A smooth voice asks and another crystal floats down to join us. Justine just came out of the bathroom and sits on a chair by a window facing a rainy city. "Good morning Nova, Ty, Blaire, Eric, Emesto, Ash. Before you ask, I just spent my days lounging at home and laying low in general. I highly doubt any of those idiots would find us. Now, how about you Ty?"

"So I'm guessing only Eric knew about what Father did," I say, looking over to Eric who's now engrossed in reading a newspaper issue. Everyone else doesn't say otherwise so I go on and explain what happened in the past two and a half weeks or so. I don't leave anything out or change the details; I can't actually. My siblings know how I twist my words so masking the embarrassing parts was pointless. I had to endure their laughter. Most were surprised with the news that I was going to be taking care of a baby dragon in my time staying in Lore.

"Ah…are you just taking care of the dragon? We can't bring the dragon home with us you know…" Bradley says carefully.

"Yeah, I know." I nod. "That's fine. I can visit sometimes right? But anyways…" I continue on with my story. They don't stop me until the part where I told them I was out for a week. In fact, Blaire actually jumps up from her chair.

"You too?" She gasps. "Are you joking?

"Wait, so it wasn't just us?" Bradley asks and Emesto comes out from under the table, face completely pale. Nova wasn't looking so good either.

"I thought it was just something we ate."

"All of you?" Justine asks, clasping her hands together. "What the hell? Eric, do you know anything about this?" She demands and her sudden outburst scares me.

"I have no idea…I thought it was just something we ate or the side effects from traveling," Eric gulps, going over the past events in his mind. "All of us went into a coma for a week at the same time…I don't know what's going on."

"Um…" Ash stutters. "Are all of you going to be okay?" He asks, concerned at our sudden unease.

"…Are we going to die?" Nova asks, voice shaky.

"Just let me think for a moment!" Eric says, sensing that we were all probably going to start yelling at each other. "It's probably just nothing. We were all just really tired, I'm sure. We're fine now aren't we?"

"Hey, that one's starting to glow." Ash points to a smaller crystal in the corner of the room. Everyone in their own homes looks away from the picture and Eric frowns.

"It's John," Everyone but Ash says in unison.

"Look, just stay calm. We'll figure this out later. Till then, Justine and I will deal with him," Eric says. "Blaire, go inside please. I don't want to drag you into this." Blaire takes her book and leaves without another word.

"See you soon." Nova waves and the light from the crystal ball darkens and the three of them disappear.

"Eric, Justine…See you soon." Justine nods and Eric smiles longingly at us before snapping his fingers. The room goes entirely dark.

"Ty?"

"Let's go eat some breakfast."

…

"Did you think of a question yet?" I ask Ash from across the table.

The two of us were sitting at a fairly large rectangular table made for a large family. We were in the kitchen and geez, Alison went all out with the medieval theme. It felt like we were sitting in a witch's den. Usually she was more contemporary in style but maybe she just wants to make Ash feel at home. Or maybe freak him out. It could go either way.

The walls were made of dark colored wood and sunlight leaked through closed green window shutters. Various dried plants hang from the ceiling and some bits were even falling onto the ground and table. Alison was by the medieval stove in the back of the room surrounded by baskets of even more dried goods sitting on the ground and on some tables nearby. She was holding a pan over it, making something for herself. Both Ash and I already made breakfast from what we had lying around. I knew that some of the plants were edible and Alison had gotten some fury meat that she nicked from the battleground. Some of it was probably some mulched up bats too.

"Waste not want not." Was what her expression told me the moment I laid eyes on the meat that she had in a basket. Ash probably didn't know where it came from and didn't question it. He even found an arrow head in one of the pieces and still didn't say anything. Granted it tastes like normal chicken but…

"Uh, yeah. It's just something that's on my mind and it's not too much of an intrusive question," Ash begins. "Where are you from? It looks like you move around a lot and you and your family act much differently from what I'm used to so…"

"Is that all?" I ask, feeling slightly relieved. It's not an uncomfortable question. I can work my way around it.

"Well here's the condensed version. Before I met father and the others, I lived with my mom and dad somewhere far away," I say, thinking back to them. "It used to have a nice name or something but that changed when a powerful almost god-like necromancer came. The necromancer had a score to settle with the ruler of the land and plunged the world into darkness and decay. I was created after things went to hell," I continue, letting Ash become engrossed in the story. "The earth turned black and the sun and moon were never seen in the sky ever again. A dark mist had enclosed the world from the outside and the denizens, distraught and hopeless, went underground to live out their days scrabbling for every bit of comfort that they could salvage from their pointless lives. There was one place, however, that the sun and moon still shone down on. A small paradise where the necromancer didn't curse stood on a mountain side. None of the people of the land could reach it as it was surrounded by treacherous terrain, rivers of pestilence and that's not including the mountain climb itself. That was where I grew up."

"How?" Ash asks, as Alison takes a seat next to us. He was looking at me so he didn't see the two bat heads on Alison's plate. She swallows one as Ash continues to talk. "How did you get there? Were there others?"

"I lived there since I was created and there wasn't anyone else there. You see, my mom made the place impenetrable because she didn't want anyone to harm my dad and I."

"She must have been really strong," Ash says.

"Yeah, was one of the best of her craft," I say, remembering the way she'd blow up intruders. "She was awesome. But anyway, getting back to your question, I lived there for the first seven years of my life. I remember every second of it like my mind had taken a recording of it and locked it away in a vault. I would play around in the grass with my dad who kept reciting his poems even when everything looked pretty grim. Or maybe he used that as inspiration but I'm not a poet or good at making words sound pretty. Mom and dad taught me how to take care of myself and some other academic stuff. I didn't really like that last part but now I kinda miss it."

"What happened to them?" Ash asks.

"…That's another question isn't it?" I reply, tapping my plate with a fork. "We should head out to Falconreach soon. I need to check if that portal's working today. C'mon, let's go." I ruffle his hair before stacking up his plate and mine.

"Ah…okay." Ash says, getting the message. I hope I wasn't too abrupt but I did say just one personal question. No one likes people who push.

"…Oh son of a…eugh…"I sink to the ground on to my knees before ending up flat on my stomach on the ground.

"Ty! What's wrong!" Ash kneels down next to me and shakes my shoulder.

"…mmfortmmdtomdammasfhh," I muffle from the ground.

"uh…Alison? What's going on?"

"…mmmfff?" She muffles, part of a bat wing sticking out of her mouth.

"…Nothing." Ash coughs and looks back to me.

"I completely forgot to ask!" I groan, rolling on my back. "I forgot to ask them about my sword. Now I have to wait for a week."

"…Is that it?" Ash asks.

"I can…answer…that," Alison gulps down the last bits of her meal. "Well most of it. I'm not the expert on weapons and stuff but I can tell you a little. Just get off from the ground drama queen. You're freaking me out."

"She's freaking you out?" Ash asks, incredulous.

"Anyway, that sword's magically reinforced. The base metal's properties allow it to change and meld with other stronger metals. You can keep upgrading it as long as you have a good smith and the proper materials," She stops, taking out my sword from under the table. "There's also something…strange about its magical properties but you should ask Nova the next chance you get.

"Where did you get that?" I ask, springing up to the table.

"I woke up earlier than you. I saw that you organized your belongings last night so set them up in the armory for you. It's connected to the room where we're going to keep the rest of our stock and collections but it's pretty empty right now. I have your sword but I put the rest of your equipment there. We might want to drop by there since you're the one who got them in the first place," She says, standing up and heading to the door. "You should organize them before you go or else I'm going to go crazy not knowing if they're all arranged correctly." She leaves through the door into the hallway and we follow her out.

The hallway wasn't as bare as it was it was last night. Paintings were on the wall now. From where we were standing, I recognized paintings of a steel castle in the sky, the grand Kuze mansion and a portrait of a Lady in Red. Not the authentic one though. Way too dangerous to have that one in the house.

Alison claps her hands together and whispers words into her hands and the walls creak. The doors and paintings on the wall quiver and shake before the walls begin to move by us. Or perhaps the floor was moving or it was us. Whichever one it was, the doors and other various pieces of furniture rush past us as we near out destination. The rush of wind it created streams by us and makes Ash cling to my arm to keep from being blown away. Not that is actually was going to happen. Like I said, Alison and everyone else likes to be flashy.

As we reach our destination, the wind dies down and we slow to a stop in front of another door.

"Before I forget, the room at the end of the hall," She says, pointing to the end of the hall which was still nowhere in sight. "If that happens again, you know what to do there right?"

"Yeah…" I nod, pushing open the door to the armory. "Of course I know."

"Wow." Ash says in awe as we enter the armory. Rows and rows of empty racks lined the walls. The room isn't as long as the damn hall but it was pretty grand. The ceiling was high and there was a large window right at the top opened to the sky. In the center was a rectangular metal pedestal stacked with the extra weapons and right at the end of my room, my armor was propped up and shining like new.

"Not bad Alison."

"What's all of this for?" Ash asks, approaching one of the racks.

"Unlike Ty here, the rest of us have some experience below our belts. This is just preparation for when we're allowed to run amok," Alison explains. She also forgot to mention that we were also OCD packrats. If even one spear was slightly crooked, somebody was going to break a wall and then go crazier because now a there's a hole in the wall. And that's just the armory.

"Looks like everything's in order. No need to move anything around," I say, eyeing the propped up weapons that I obtained all shined and organized on different racks. We kept two of each and sold the extras. That's usually how it goes.

"Your armor's with Ty's," Alison points over to the end of the room. "I also restored your armor, Ty, but you might want to check with a smith later." She says as we walk over to my armor and Ash's set up neatly next to mine. We both fasten on our armor and I finish by swinging the red cape over my shoulders.

"Hmmmm, looking good Ty. It even has a hood. You'll be like a hardcore little red riding hood." Alison comments, making a weird sound at the back of her throat. Purring I think?

"Without the wolf or the weird underlying messages I hope." I look over to Ash and notice how little armor he has. It's worrying. "Hey, Ash. Have you ever thought of getting more armor? You look…sorry, but you look very vulnerable."

"That's okay. I'll get more sooner or later," Ash smiles. "We should go now I think."

… **...**

"I'M RICH! RICH!" A strange man with green hair and a beard in a top hat runs around town is yelling this in glee. I have no idea who that is.

"That's Mayor Rayf," Eli says, startling us from behind.

"Dang it, Eli. You scared me." I laugh it off.

"I aim for that for all of my charges. That includes you and the other adventurers I suppose," Eli says. "But yes, that's Mayor Rayf. You didn't see him at all during your stay here since he was in the tower basement the entire time cowering. He locked himself in and wouldn't let anyone pass. I'm sure you didn't need that information while we were at war."

"You're right," I say, watching when he almost knocks over a mage as he keeps prancing back and forth in joy.

"Ah…what's the mayor so happy about?" Ash asks. I was wondering the same thing. The buildings and surrounding land of Falconreach was ruined. Only large tents stood. He seems like the type who would balk over this.

"We needed money to get the materials to restore Falconreach and we got it. The adventurers and guardians donated money out of their own pocket and we raised enough to break the bank. Literally break the bank. We can't even count how much we brought together. Falconreach will be back up in no time." Eli says proudly.

"That's amazing!" I say, awed. Even Alison looks impressed.

"Unfortunately that means that Mayor Rayf gets to decide what to do with the extra gold. There's a mountain of extra gold." Eli sighs.

"How is he Mayor? Did really vote for him?" I ask.

"I…honestly don't know. I'll get back to you on that. I'll see you soon." Eli says, walking towards Mayor Rayf. The mayor stops his celebrating when he sees Eli. He starts backing away at first and Eli approaches slowly. Then the mayor yells something incomprehensible and they're both booking it down the road.

"I'm going to do some looking around on my own if you don't mind," Alison says, readjusting the waterfall braid in her hair that she styled this morning.

"You sure you're going to be fine by yourself?"

"I should be asking you that question." She says before she walks off. "Brrrr, I know the fire just left the town but it can't get cold this quickly." She mutters on her way.

"So where to first, Ty?" Ash asks.

"Um…I think we should go to the smithy. I need to check on a few things there." I answer, remembering back to what Konnan mouthed to me yesterday.

* * *

 

"Yulgar, how's everything with you?" I ask, stepping into his tent with Ash.

"Hey, Yulgar." Ash says.

"Good to see you both. I was just about to go out. Do you need anything or did you just come to say hi?"

"I came to say hello and to also get my armor checked over," I say, unfastening my forearm guard. "My sis told me that she spruced it up a bit but I just want to know for sure…"

"She fixed all of this? That's a lot of work in just a night," He takes it out of my hands and examines the piece of armor. "It seems fine at a first glance but we should do a full check just to make sure. First armor repair's free."

"Seriously? Awesome." I start taking off my armor.

"Though you might have to wait a while; the guardians asked me to come to their armory. I imagine that there's a mountain of work to be done there." He explains.

"Isn't Konnan here? He's your apprentice, right? I'm sure he could just look it over and do some repairs. Nothing seems to look too bad." I say, looking over Yulgar's shoulder hoping to be able to talk to Konnan.

Konnan was at the back of the tent near the hearth. He was banging away at a red hot blade in the making on an anvil next to a barrel of water. I couldn't see his face from here.

"I suppose you could try. He won't speak to me no matter what I do," Yulgar sighs. "Ash, would you mind helping me take a few boxes to the tower? I think Ty's going to be busy.

"Um…sure," Ash says and Yulgar drops heavy two boxes of tools into his arms. His knees almost buckle but he manages to hang on. "I'm…good," He squeaks, shaking with the effort.

"You need to build more muscle mass, Ash." Yulgar shakes his head and lifts up three boxes effortlessly.

"Ash, I'm going to go visit Lady Celestia after this so if we don't meet up with each other just head home okay? Do you remember the way back?" I ask.

"Do you mean your house?" He manages a confused look even with if he could hardly stand.

"Yeah, our house. Do you have somewhere else to stay?"

"No…but I feel bad about free loading and-"

"No buts and you aren't freeloading. Now go on before your arms break off," I wave him away and he grins back before following Yulgar out of the tent.

So now it's just me and Konnan.

"Hi…" I greet him quietly as I approach his back with my armor in hand. "Did you want to talk to me about something?" His shoulders sag and he stops his work.

"What do you need?" He asks, turning to me. He has dark bags under his eyes and his expression seems dull overall. Perhaps the war burned him out.

"Well, I was wondering if I could get my armor checked over and…didn't you say that you wanted to talk? Or at least you signaled me? Or maybe I was just seeing things, I'm sorry." I go on.

"…Here, let me see that one," He steps towards me and takes the breastplate out of my hands. Examining it, he moves towards the nearby hearth and moves the burning wood around with an iron poker.

"…It looks fine but I could make inspect more thoroughly," He offers, ignoring my last comment. "Same goes for the other parts if you let me see them." He goes on, staring intensely at the growing fire.

"Uh…sure. Hey, is everything okay?" I look nervously at the fire in the hearth. When Konnan started to poke at it, it seemed to grow hotter and brighter. Maybe it was just because I almost got cooked yesterday but it just worries me.

"Fine, everything's just fine," He replies, tapping one of the logs harder than he should. "I'm just adjusting the heat. I should be the one asking if you're-" At that moment, the fire crackles and a burning chip of wood jumps out of the fire and hit's my gloved hand, burning through the cloth and into my skin.

"Shi-"I'm about to swear but then Konnan grabs my hand, plunges it into the barrel of water and holds it under. The cold water helps and when the pain hits, it isn't too bad though I think it's also because I'm sort of used to it now but woah.

How in the world did a small fire burn through my glove?

"Konnan…is there something you want to tell me?" I ask, pulling my hand away. "If there isn't then maybe I should leave." Konnan means well. He does; I don't see any bad intent in him but he's obviously hiding something and I'm sure I know what it is.

"Ty, I…" He backs away, wiping his hands on his pants. "I just wanted to…apologize for what happened to you. And damn it you got another burn today too." He sighs, wiping the sweat from forehead with the back on his hand. "It's hard to explain and I…can't tell you the whole truth but I need to apologize to you and the rest of Falconreach for what happened. It's not directly my fault but…I can't sell him out."

"Okay."

"I know and…wait. Just "Okay." No questions?" He asks, confused and wary.

"I think I know what you're trying to say. Looking back, what you were saying when you were trying to run off through the monsters and how they acted towards you…it's kind of obvious. I'm surprised Ash didn't catch on," I ponder out loud. Konnan was regarding me with wariness and I look him straight in the eyes. "I won't say anything," I say with finality getting a mix of relief and shock from Konnan. "I may not like him, I actually despise him what with the almost burning me alive yesterday, but I understand where you're coming from. Believe me, you aren't the only one with "unique" friends."

"Wait, no questions about why or if he's trustworthy or not?" Konnan asks, skeptical.

"I'm going to have to trust your judgment," I say, gathering up my armor. "Those kinds of questions…I can't stand them. That's coming from personal experience," I quickly pull my armor on and reach out my hand to Konnan, asking for the piece in his hand. He hands it over reluctantly. "Word of advice; rethink it. If he's willing to attack the town with you still in it because of a favor then maybe you should reconsider your relationship." I fasten the last piece on and head for the exit.

"I'm going to give you some space. You probably need it right now." I state on my way out. Behind me, Konnan gazes fixedly into the fire and something in it pops. "See you soon."

…

"It seems like you've had an awfully eventful time," Lady Celestia comments.

"Awful is right. And now I have to ask Alison to fix my glove again. She won't be happy." I sigh, feeling the hole in the cloth. Konnan…what is that guy's deal anyway?

"Alison is your older sister. I'm sure she wouldn't be too angry," She laughs, gently placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Alison's funny!" Twilly chirps from the ground.

Both of us are standing in front of the dragon egg watching the colors swirl and change. The portal was finally fixed and I could get through to Sunbreeze Cove. The sight of green plants and clear water was a welcome sight as well as the lovely Lady Celestia with Twilly on her shoulder. She had heard of the war and was thankfully Sunbreeze Cove was unaffected.

"Is it supposed to do that?" I ask, mesmerized by the variety of patterns and shades that appear and fade on the shell.

"It isn't unheard of for a dragon egg to keep shifting but it has been doing this for a while now…" She trails off. "I'm sure the egg is healthy." She says.

"When will it hatch?"

"Aw, Ty asked the question. Now Twillies needs to think of some other funny jokes." Twilly complains.

"In a few months. I'll write the exact date for you later," She smiles. "Till then, we need to teach you how to care for a baby dragon. I have books and records for you to study and though it seems tempting, I would feel much more at ease if you don't go hunting for other dragons to study. That includes the deceased as well."

"But you can learn a lot from the inside out," I joke. "But that's fine. I can do that. Say, have you heard anything from my father?"

"…I haven't. If he does contact me then you will be the first to know. Now we should head back. I will find the books and then you said that you need to see Warlic?"

"Yes, I was hoping to borrow a few things from him."

…

"A scrying spell you say?" Warlic asks, magically organizing books on a bookshelf.

"Not for divinations or anything like that," I elaborate. "Just one for tracking…a certain someone down. Preferably using a crystal ball as a medium. Do you have a spell like that?"

"Yes I do," He says, summoning a book that comes floating down the hall. He catches it and starts flipping through. "This is a simple one to use," He stops on one of the pages. "The only instructions are to use a medium with a smooth reflective surface, read the incantations out loud and to have a personal belonging of the individual in question. Do you have the personal belonging?"

"Way ahead of you." I pull out the black pair of pants. Warlic's eyes widen for a split second before settling back to his ever present look of calm.

"Ty, I am familiar with the emotions infatuation can bring but this might be too much."

"What? No! This is just…so I can return them!" I lie. "What kind of person would steal clothes from someone they like and use it to stalk them?"

"Oh…excuse me then," He coughs, sounding embarrassed. "Is there anything else that you might require of me?"

"I also came to see if you were safe. The war went on for a while and I heard rumors that Xan has something against you. You seem okay. Are you?" I ask, concerned.

"I was aware of the war and yes, I am fine. I would have come to aid you had the dimensional disturbance had not been present. I am investigating the cause at the moment," He says with some hesitation. "And Xan…may we speak of that matter another time? I must return to my investigation." He says, glancing away wistfully.

"Of course, I'll bother you some other time then." I can't really dig into that yet or else I'd be a hypocrite. "But there's just one other thing. When I was here last, I forgot to ask you about the gardening book. The one I was reading when you were negotiating with your roommate."

"That one? Why do you need it?" He asks, voice shaking ever so slightly…for some reason. Did he need the book for something?

"Yeah, I didn't finish it. In fact, I don't even remember reading it but that must be because I was really tired. I don't even like gardening but I must have been curious. Maybe I'll try it out. New things are great, that's what people usually say I think."

"I suppose so. Variations of that," He says and another book comes flying down the hall towards us. It flies into my hands this time.

"Thanks Warlic. I shouldn't bother you anymore so I'll be seeing you. Good luck on your investigation," You'll need it if father didn't bother to warn you about his pranks.

"Come visit anytime." He says as I begin to leave.

"Almost forgot!" I turn around.

"What is it?"

"Do you have anything on baleful polymorph? Of the alpaca variety? I feel like alpacas today."

"…I'll see what I can do."

* * *

 

"This should be the place," I murmur to myself. I shift in my spot hidden up on a tree branch. This part of the woods was fairly far from town and the destruction. It wasn't hard to find especially with the help of the scrying spell.

In fact, the subject of the spell was about to walk underneath the branch towards his camp.

Gazing into the mini crystal ball, I watch Drakath saunter on his way accompanied by his group of fellow idiots. He was boasting about something from the looks of it; most likely his "victory" over the, what was it…oh right. His "victory" over the obnoxious little girl who has no idea when to stop talking.

He looks so happy right now, making exaggerated gestures and smirking at his minions who looked like they were trying hard to pretend that they were listening. I could even call it cute.

"Won't last long though," I giggle, reaching back into my bag. Three…Two…one.

"I heard she was cooked into a puddle on the ground, begging to live the entire time! Ha, serves that brat right!" He laughs.

"Oh Drakath," I call from above. The look on his face was worth the hour it took to sheer the alpaca.

"Think fast asshole."


	16. One After Another-Part 1

"Hi, Ash. Everything going well at the tower?"

"Yup. Um…what's with the llama?" Ash asks, pointing at the hogtied alpaca squirming on the ground behind me. We were standing outside the inn tent and Ash had just come by. The alpaca was squirming and flopping around attempting to get free, making irritated squeaking noises.

"This is an alpaca. I…found him and thought that he and his friends could be of use here," I say.

"Friends?" Ash asks before a group, or is it a herd? Maybe a drove? Anyway a group of alpacas charge by us with adventurers and townspeople chasing after. "Oh, I see. Where did you find them?"

"Just some place in the forest. I just ran into them out of luck," I laugh, looking back at the alpaca. "I cast…I mean I  _found_  these guys just mingling with each other and I chased them to town. I caught their leader and the others are still being chased around as you saw just now."

"Alpacas have leaders?"

"Yup, as strange as it sounds, dumb, mindless, clumsy animals have a leader to boss them around. This one's just slightly smarter, I say that loosely, and he's really big headed too," I snicker and the alpaca is trying really hard to at least kick me with its tied legs but only succeeds in rolling back and forth in one spot. "I was thinking that we could shave them for fur," the moment I mention that, the alpaca freezes, legs up in midair. "Or perhaps skin them and eat them. I think we're lacking on food supplies." At that point, the alpaca's started to try biting its own legs off to get away.

"I think we're fine on food but I wouldn't mind some warm clothes. It's kinda getting chilly," Ash shivers.

"Really? Well, I suppose it's a little cooler but I thought that it was just because we got used to the heat wave from the past two weeks." I say. "But isn't it still August?"

"Yeah but it usually doesn't get that cool till the end of September."

"It's probably just some freak weather pattern or something but at least that gives us a reason to skin these guys." I laugh, kicking the frantic alpaca somewhat hard.

"We won't need to skin them!" Ash says quickly. "We could just keep shaving them each year and maybe we could even milk them. I'm sure if you sell them to a farmer, you could get…judging from him, I'm guessing he could go for about seven hundred gold. He's tubby and fluffy so that adds to the value but he seems ornery so that might cause problems but it's cause he's wild right?"

"If only he were wilder."

"Hey, you want to check up on Tanisha and visit Serenity?" Ash asks. "I'm sure the alpaca will be left alone if you tie him up to a post."

"Sure, you go in first. Let me just tie this guy up somewhere." I say and Ash nods before going into the inn tent. Once I'm sure that no one's around to listen, I sit next to the alpaca. He was lying on his side and panting, exhausted from his struggling.

"So Drakath, how do you like my baleful polymorph spell? Cool, huh? I'm usually really bad at casting spells but I worked extra hard on this one," I ruffle the fluff on his alpaca head. He glares and makes a sound that's supposed to be a growl but comes out like a low pitch squeak. "So did you get a good look at you handy-work?" I ask him, motioning to the expanse of tents and burnt grass. "I know you just called up a favor with that Xan guy but this is still your doing nonetheless. I'm actually really impressed." I smile and alpaca Drakath looks back up at me in confusion.

"You really humiliated me back there. I suppose that was your aim," I laugh, tightening my hold on his fur hard enough to make him squeak in fear. "Now listen here," I lean down to whisper into his floppy ear. "You don't know what you just started. This is my way of one-uping you on this little back-and-forth that we have going on. I have to say that it's working very well," I move back a bit and unsheathe my sword from my belt, bringing it up to show it to him. "Now let's see if we can keep this going," I smile devilishly at the terrified look in his eyes as they dart from me to my shining blade. Slowly, I raise up my sword and prepare to slash down as I watch alpaca Drakath's eyes widen. With a quick motion, I slice downwards and alpaca Drakath screeches and scrunches his eyes closed.

Five seconds pass and when he opens his eyes tentatively, he finds himself unharmed and that I had just cut the bindings on his legs.

"Well?" I say, standing above him. "Are you going to get up or what?" I say, twirling my sword. At first, he jumps up and prepares to charge me but stops when he notices that I'm still armed and he's still a sheep with a long neck. "Wouldn't be a good idea to attack me while you still look like that," I tsk. "Now I'm not sure when it's going to wear off but it will, I promise. I just hope that you make it out in time without being caught by the "peasants" you high and mighty son of a bitch," I walk around behind him as he remains frozen in spot, shivering with rage. Though since he was still an alpaca, it just looks silly.

"If you do manage to get out of here, I'll be awaiting your way of paying me back, if you so choose, at the same spot as before," I challenge him. I know it's dangerous and maybe Xan owed him more favors or he knew other powerful crazies but I just want to play around with him some more.

Call it a…fleeting fascination.

"Now go before I turn you into alpaca steak," I laugh, slapping the alpaca on his butt, prompting him to make a surprised yelp before he sprints away clumsily down the road. "Oh no!" I mock yell and point at alpaca Drakath. "One's getting away! Hurry and get him before he escapes!"

"I got this!" A warrior shouts and tackles Drakath to the ground. Drakath flails and kicks the guy off with his back-legs. He gets up shakily and keeps running away but a rogue jumps on his back and wraps his arms around alpaca Drakath's abdomen.

"I got a hold of him!" He yells. "Let me grab the utters! That makes them stop, right?"

"No they don't you idiot," The other warrior calls back. And besides, that one's male-"

"Got it!" The rogue yells and alpaca Drakath squeaks before falling on his side with the rogue still on his back. "Wait…this isn't an utter…oh uuuugggghhh!" The rogue chokes and immediately rolls off and lets the others pile up on Drakath before he squeezes out from underneath and gallops away.

He won't be forgetting this anytime soon.

* * *

 

Remember when we didn't think much about the sudden change in temperature? Hahahaha…

"Where is this asshole anyway?" I mumble, shivering almost uncontrollably. Snow was falling hard and even having my red cape wrapped tightly around me didn't the snow from finding its way under my armor. I was cold, wet and angry.

I wasn't the only one either. Almost every other person who had braved the fire war was now shivering in a snow storm that came just two days after the war had ended. The moment snow began to pile up on the ground, waves of wolves and dravirs started to attack us. We were stuck in another war and because of the utter failure that was our last effort of defense a few days before, all of the stops were pulled. Even if we were just defending a group of tents, we pushed with all the might we had. Whoever was keeping the snow on us was keeping supplies from coming and I doubt anyone wants to stay in a tent for longer.

And then we ran out of monsters on day five. I had just chopped down a dravir and looked up to find nothing but adventurers meandering around and checking behind bushes for any more attackers.

So now here we are. Half of us were standing in the middle of town while the others were standing at both of the entrances to town waiting around for the boss to appear. We were all getting pretty ticked off too. It's been hours and I hate snow. Especially when it takes time away from my summer.

"Ash, are you going to be okay? Just looking at you is going to give me frostbite." I glance at Ash in worry. He isn't wearing more than a thin cloak and his usual clothing. He was trying to conceal his shivers and brushes off the pile of snow that was building on top of his dampened hair. I would have gone back to the house to get better clothes but guess what? The snow and monsters kept me from getting back. I swear I'm going to murder this guy and if it was Drakath that sent him, I'll make him eat all of this damn snow. "Wanna go inside and warm up? I'll come with you."

"It's okay. I'm fine," He shakes his head somewhat stiffly because of the chill. "It isn't that much better inside anyway," He says, wiping snow away from his eyes. "I got Twilly helping me warm up too." Ash continues and Twilly pops out of the collar of his yellow sweater.

"Twillies can't feel his paws," Twilly says through chattering teeth before slipping back into Ash's sweater.

"Eug, the least this guy could do is actually show up when he loses," Someone behind me complains.

"Hey now, we shouldn't underestimate him. This might be part of his plan," Eli says through chattering teeth. "We need to be on guard or else we're going to be toast if this guy's strong like Xan."

"I wouldn't mind being toast right now," the person sighs and all of the sudden, the snowfall stops.

All of us look up in surprise. The clouds still covered the sky but now the snow had stopped. Then the clouds break open and sunlight pierces through as everyone looks up in awe.

"There's something up there!" I yell and point up at a black shape in the sky that was flying very fast towards us.

"Move!" Eli yells, pushing me down on the ground as everyone scatters. A blast of ice was sent down towards us and nearly misses me, Eli, Ash and Twilly.

Wing beats rouse me from my daze and I sit up. A dragon was standing in the middle of town with someone on his back. It wasn't as big as that red dragon that I saw the first time I landed in Lore but it was still as big as a house.

"Guys, get up! The big boss guy is here," I grab Ash's arm and try to pull him up with me as I stand.

"Uh…Ty?" Ash says.

"What's wrong…oh," Both Ash and Eli were stuck under a mound of snow and ice from the attack. And now that I look around, so is everyone else. Different legs, arms and heads were sticking out of the newly formed snowy mounds from all over. Only some were making an effort to twitch while others were probably too cold to move their joints. "Really? Again with the last stand?"

"Sorry, Ty," Ash says and Twilly squeezes out of his sweater and flops onto the snowy ground, red fur damp even though he hid in Ash's sweater.

"How am I the only one that didn't get hit?"

"Maybe it's your lucky day," Eli suggests, head sticking out of his snowy trap and gesturing with the only arm that he had outside of the snowy mound. "Or maybe it's an unlucky day. Whichever it is, unless the others get here from the two ends of Falconreach-" He stops, gaping at the dragon over my shoulder.

The dragon was breathing its icy breath to create high walls of ice enclosing us and the path to the guardian tower from the East and West ends of Falconreach. Even if they came they would have to get through those walls and that was also going to take a while. That meant that literally the only thing that was sitting between this guy and the tower was us. Or to be more precise, little ol me

"Okay, scratch that. You're on your own."

"Thank you," I groan, brushing off the snow off of my shoulders. "I'll deal with this guy and maybe I can hold him off until help gets here. Do you have an idea of what he wants? Is it in the tower maybe?" I ask Eli and Ash.

"Nothing very valuable there at the moment." Eli shakes his head.

"Ty, he's getting off of his dragon!"

"Go!" Eli orders. "Fend him off as long as you can!"

"Got it," I reply. "There's no way I'm letting some  _ice_  loser take me down." I say with contempt.

I sprint through the trodden snow to block the path to the guardian tower.

"Twillies is coming too!" Twilly yells, tripping up trying to stay on my heels.

"Woah," Both of us come to a stop and gawk at the man stepping off of his dragon. He's heavily armored and caped in silvery gray. He's huge; much taller and buffer than me. Glowing blue eyes gleam from his horned helm and he wields a gigantic scythe adorned with a dragonish motif. And if that wasn't intimidating enough, the dragon following behind him sure made up for it. Everything about this guy is huge! Well except for the fact that he uses a crappy element to fight.

"Give the orb to me," He orders, stalking over to us and I stand steady. "Give the orb to me and I will make your deaths swift." He stops when we're face to face…or my face to his chest plate.

"Orb? I haven't heard of some orb being here. Who do you think you are anyway?" I demand, regarding him with contempt.

"Is he a Dragonlord?" Twilly squeaks nervously. What's a Dragonlord? A special class I suppose?

"I don't have time for this." He raises his scythe to my neck. "Take me to your superior or I will have your tiny head."

"Shove off," I push his blade away and unsheathe my own. "I'm not taking orders from a prick who uses ice magic," I sneer. "I'm not going to lose to one either."

"Overconfident wretch. Let us see what you will say once your blood stains the snow."

"Twilly, stand back. He's asking for it,"

"Be careful, Ty!"

"It won't end like last time. Don't worry, he's just-"

"Meh," A familiar blue furball materializes by us in a puff of smoke and the three of us yell his name in unison.

"Zorbak!"

"Meh, cast the wrong teleport spell," He says, scratching his head with his staff before noticing my opponent. "DragonMaster Frostscythe. How…meh…good to see you again," He says, walking in between Frostscythe and I. "And wouldn't you know, the crazy mood swinger's still hanging around."

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" I growl and stomp on him. Zorbak's flat on his stomach and glares, as terrifying as a tiny magical rat could be, at me angrily.

"Only a DragonMaster? Whew…don't worry about this meanie, Ty. He isn't a full-fledged Dragonlord so his dragon won't be at full strength! Hee Hee, thanks for the warning Zorbie." Twilly chirps happily.

"Fool!" Zorbak growls, futilely trying to paw his way out from under my boot. "I was not helping you! And don't call me Zorbie! Meh, I'll leave you losers to your fight," he groans and he disappears in another puff of smoke.

"Enough of this, prepare yourself." Frostscythe says.

"Way ahead of you," I say, eyeing him and his dragon…who looked quite distant. The dragon's eyes were blank like there was no one home inside that head.

"I will have the orb! Glaisaurus, attack!" He orders and his dragon lunges for me, aiming to main me with his horns.

Fortunately, the dragon's easy to dodge and seems slow on the uptake. His movements were robotic. I sidestep his attack easy enough and spring at his master.

My first slash collides hard with his scythe and so does the next and the next. Both of us are on the defensive.

I should be on my guard against scythe wielders even if they do use ice magic. Scythes look cool and all but they're very awkward and hard to use in a fight. They're supposed to be for harvesting crops instead of as a weapon in a fight. The blade and point faces inward to the wielder so hitting me at a distance wasn't an option. If you're going to use something like a scythe as a weapon of choice, you're either very experienced and good at using it or it's something for show. I have yet to figure out which one Frostscythe is.

Our weapons clash and he seems to be trying to push me away. I'm too far from him to be pulled in by his scythe. I make one hard strike on his scythe and now we're stuck in a deadlock with neither of us backing down.

Something caught my eye and I could sense it's strange magic too. A red gem clutched by an ornate dragon dangles on a gold chain around his neck. It looks like a very nice target.

"Glaisaurus!" Frostscythe calls his dragon, concentrating on pushing me down. "Attack!" The beast glides over and fires a blast of cold at me. Consequently, for Frostscythe to be specific, it was aimed in his direction too.

Waiting till the very last second, I keep us stuck in the deadlock until I drop flat on the ground. It makes him slip forward and into his own dragon's blast of ice.

It looks like a dumb move since ice is his main element but it isn't. I just need him distracted.

He deflects the blast of ice but his concentration is off and I jump up and stab the gem hanging around his neck. Frostscythe moves to dodge but his red amulet had already shattered like cheap glass.

Glaisaurus suddenly stops moving and life returns to his eyes. He looks around curiously before leaping into the air and soaring away.

"You broke my amulet?" He asks the obvious, holding up his shattered gem.

"Good job, Ty!" Twilly yells from the sidelines. "He can't control his dragon without it!"

With a snarl, Frostscythe rips the gold chain off of his neck and crushes the remainder of the amulet in his hands, letting the scraps of metal fall into the snow.

"I don't need Glaisaurus to squash someone as puny as you," Frostscythe cringes, backing away. Waving his hand, three sharp icicles materialize and float in midair. He shoots them at me and follows up with another volley.

I run and make a long jump towards him, smashing the icicles into tiny shards. One makes it by my sword and hits my stomach hard. It doesn't pierce my armor but it still hurt like hell and I'm probably going to have a huge bruise. But it isn't as bad as getting burned to my bones so I push through and our blades clash once more.

"You better hope that my reinforcements are going to get here soon," I say, slamming my blade against his scythe hard. "Someone has to stop me from murdering you. No one cuts my summer down!" Frostscythe pulls back his weapon and makes a wide horizontal slash. Thinking fast, I jump and land on the blade of his scythe before leaping off again and kicking his helmet in.

Frostscythe makes a pained sound as he falls back and I land on my feet surprisingly gracefully.

"Holy crap, am I a ninja or what?" I laugh as Twilly applauds.

Frostscythe groans, gripping the front of his dented helmet as he tries to get back on his feet. He gets on one knee and attempts to get up using his scythe as support but he falls back on his knee again.

"Aww, is someone tired?" I mock, walking over to him with ease.

"How is this possible?" He asks, breathing hard with long puffs of frosty air.

"Enough with the villain "how could I possibly lose" speech already. Tell us, what did you want from us?" Frostscythe looks back up at me, a hint of confusing flashing by in his glinting blue eyes. Then, a small laugh comes out of his lopsided helmet and soon he was chuckling incredulously. "What's so funny?"

"Ha, do you not know what you are defending?" He asks before a sneeze escapes him followed by a cough.

"I don't know what you're talking about," I sneak a peek at Twilly, careful not to keep my eyes off of the enemy for too long, and Twilly shakes his head. "How about you give me the details," I say, looking over him to see some of the others escaping their ice prisons.

"You will discover it on your own soon enough…" Frostscythe pauses, letting the words hang in the air before sneezing. "Had I realized who you were I would have brought a much grander army," He says with coughs and sneezes in between. I'm not sure I follow him but I really don't like it either.

"You may have forced me to start over…" Frostscythe stops, glancing back at the approaching adventurers and guardians. "But know this…I will become the next dragonlord!" Frostscythe stands back up, grips his scythe tight and high tails it in the other direction.

"Did he just…?" I stumble over my words, watching the armored freak push past both Ash, Eli and knock down a dazed mage before he leaps into a bush and disappears.

"Uh…it looks like you beat him, Ty," Ash says, coming up next to me.

"I was expecting him to make a big exit like his entrance…I just let him go, didn't I." I heave a sigh.

"Aww, it's okay," Twilly says, patting my leg.

"We didn't have anywhere to put him anyway," Eli sneaks up on us again.

"Eli!" Ash and I jump. "Is this going to be a routine thing?"

"No, it wasn't supposed to be but now it is," Eli smiles.

A loud crack resounds through Falconreach and both of the ice walls crumble into fragments of ice on to the ground. The other guardians and adventurers step through the remains of the ice wall though the group that came from the west had something with them.

We run up to meet those at the front of the group from the west and some of the other adventurers congratulate me with pats on the back and other congratulatory gestures as we pass by. My sister, Grams and Aria who was riding on an alpaca were there waiting by the inn tent.

"Not too shabby, sis," Alison congratulates me, readjusting the fur-trimmed hood on the coat she was wearing. "Another scared baddie on your belt; try a little harder and maybe you'll slay one and get a trophy next time."

"I'm not a trophy person," I say quickly when Eli raises a brow.

"Does that kind of thing happen from where you're from?" Ash asks, brown eyes wide.

"Well, Alison was joking but-"

"Nothing but the truth comes out of my mouth,"

"Like hell it does, Alison. Like I was saying, that stuff happens but I'm not a big fan of stuffing my enemies and mounting them on a wall," I think back to an old ex that used to do weird shit like that. She even made puppets out of them sometimes. She was a phase I was going through.

"It usually depends on the person and sometimes it's for practical reasons like using their body parts for certain spells and talismans. Though others use it for more ego boosting purposes.

"Like a finger necklace," Alison adds, nodding knowingly. "Those never go out of style and have a manageable size. Skull necklaces on the other hand-"

"Sorry to interrupt your fascinating explanation but…" Grams cuts in. "We have some work to attend to," Grams gestures back at a group of wooden carts pulled by horses. Wood, cloth and other supplies were packed on them and their riders were awaiting instruction. "King Alteon's help has arrived. Shall we start rebuilding?"

"Aww, I wanted to hear the rest," Aria whines, slumping on to the alpaca's neck. It was one of Drakath's minions who decided not to escape like the rest did. A pink bow was tied around his neck but he didn't seem to mind. He seems content in fact.

"I'm sure Ty and Alison can tell you more later but now we should get to work since the big boss ran off." Grams pulls out a handful of dried hay and feeds the alpaca, smiling when he began to grind them down in his mouth.

"I'll go sort things out," Eli says before heading to the caravan and leaving us to our own devices.

"I didn't get to see who was behind this mess," Grams comments. "Who was it?"

"Some stuck up dragonmaster," I shrug. "Called himself Frostscythe. He wanted to take an orb or something from the tower but Eli told me there wasn't anything much of value and he wasn't lying as far as I could tell. Frosty must have been mistaken."

"I never heard of any orb around here," Aria says, hugging the alpaca around his neck.

"How about you guys?"

"Twillies know a little bit about the orbs," Twilly says from below. "Only a tiny bits but Lady Celestia know more."

"I'll ask her later then," I say, making a note of it. "Anyways, I kicked Frosty's face in and he just ran off. Loser even caught a cold," I laugh. Then a terrible feeling creeps up in the back of my throat and I freeze in mid laugh.

"Hey, Ty?" Ash says, putting a hand on my arm. "You okay?"

"Achoo!"

"Uh oh," Alison and Aria say.

"No no, I'm fine. Something just flew up my nose…I hope," I add the last part in quietly. "How about we start getting to work on cleaning up?"

"Hmmmmmm," A heavily clothed figure staggers out of the inn tent groggily and we all turn to see who it is. "It sure is cold," Tanisha mutters, rubbing her eyes. Taking a look around, her sleep expression remains unchanged and she looks over at us before bluntly asking a question. "How long was I out?"

* * *

 

"Euuuuurrrrrrrggggggg," I groan, burying my face into a cold wet towel. Alison, Ash and I were sitting at the table outside of Lady Celestia's home.

Both of us had spent an hour helping out with the start of the rebuilding of Falconreach before my terrible headache kicked in. After much pushing from Ash, Grams, Twilly and everyone who didn't want to get sick, I was forced to go somewhere warmer instead of helping out. That place ended up being Sunbreeze Cove after stumbling over some rock at the portal gate and briefly checking on the dragon egg.

"I don't understand it. How come I'm the one that got sick and Ash comes out healthy? You were hardly wearing anything." I pout at Ash and the others.

"Well, you were working pretty hard. When was the last time you slept?" Ash asks.

"Monday."

"That was four days ago."

"I guess it was," I sigh, wiping my sweating forehead with the towel. "I'll be fine though. I'll rest a bit and I'll be back to normal in two days max."

"Consider yourself lucky. I'm still out of shape for another few months," Alison groans, tugging her fur-trimmed hood off and letting down cascade of curly black hair.

"Huh? Your hair…was it always black?" Ash asks, squinting at Alison's head.

"Sometimes but this was just for the cold. Black absorbs heat much better than orange but…" She runs her fingers through her hair, leaving streaks of flaming orange that dyes the rest of her strands. Her curls straighten out into her usual style and she starts tying it into a braid. "Right now, I like this colour. It was hard to track down and it's eye catching isn't it?" She winks at Ash, making him gulp.

"Show off," I smile and slap Alison's arm playfully before doubling over and coughing.

"Oh dear," Lady Celestia steps out of her house carrying a tray of tea with Twilly in tow. "I brought a herbal tea. Perhaps it will soothe your throat," She says, setting the tray down on the table.

"Thank you," I sniff, taking a sip from one of the cups. "Lady Celestia, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course."

"The person who was attacking us said that he wanted the orb that we had. No one knows much about the orb and I don't think there's one here."

"The orb? Yes, I know about the orbs," She begins. "In Lore, eight orbs from the eight elemental planes are scattered across the land. They are all very powerful magical pieces that maintain the balance of Lore."

"Does Falconreach have one?" Ash asks.

"I cannot say. The orbs were originally protected by different guardian towers across Lore but overtime they've changed locations or have disappeared completely."

"Will the orbs be a problem in the future for us?" I ask, feeling uneasy.

"I fear they will be someday soon…" Lady Celestia trails off, looking down into her reflection in her tea cup. "However, it is not a problem that we are facing at this moment. For now, some rest would be good for all of you."

"Yeah, I'm exhausted," Ash sighs, slumping back in his chair. "Two wars in a row takes a lot out of us. I don't think I can handle another."

"And another thing, Frostscythe mentioned that if he knew who I was he would've brought a bigger army. Do you know anything about that?" I ask.

Lady Celestia glances at Alison and then coughs before she answers.

"I am not familiar with Frostscythe. Do you perhaps have a history in Lore? Visited before? Any family members?"

"Don't think so. Maybe he just mistook me for someone," I say, rubbing an eye. I think I should investigate this a bit but I can't even thing straight right now.

* * *

 

"Wow, you guys rebuild fast," I exclaim through a tissue, walking into Reens new potions shop with Ash and Alison. Potted plants were placed around the room and barrels of supplies stood at the back. Creeping ivy grew up the walls and a table of messily organized bottles, colorful liquids, tools, plants and other reagents sat in the middle of the room. It was pretty tidy and well-built for a house that was built the day the supplies came in.

"Well, with wood, nails and a little bit of magic you can do anything. In fact, it looks much better than the old one. I think we'll even be finished before the week's up," Reens says, taking a potion bottle off of one of her burners on the table. "What can I do for you guys today? It's probably still too early to begin collecting reagents but whatever else you need, I'll help you out."

"Do you have any cold medicine for this walking germ infested zombie?" Alison asks, yawning." Why couldn't we come later? It's so early. You weren't nearly this energetic back home."

"I just want to get rid of this cold. Maybe the medicine will help me recover faster," I reply and cough hoarsely into my tissue.

"Anything else?" Reens asks, passing a purple potion to my sister from across the table. "How about you Ash?"

"I don't need anything. I was just tagging along is all," He says. "The building's being taken care of and we were thinking of just taking it easy for a while. Since Ty's sick and I think I should wait till I can move my shoulder without my bones cracking, we're going to sit around till tomorrow. Ty says she's going to show me around the house."

"Just around the house?"

"It's…a really big house. Really! It might be bigger than town hall! It's definitely bigger than town hall. Three times bigger!"

"I wish it wasn't. It kinda makes me dizzy sometimes," I sniffle.

"You can complain about being dizzy when you're the one controlling the house," Alison rolls her eyes and passes me the bottle. "It's hard enough without-"

Alison gets cut off by the door of Reen's shop flying open. Aria and her alpaca run in and slam the door behind them. Aria leans back on the door, eyes wide and breathing hard. The alpaca seems spooked too.

"Aria, I'm sorry but I can't have the alpaca in here," Reens says.

"No, stop!" She shushes us and tip toes closer.

"What's going on?" Ash asks.

"This is terrible!" She says in an angry whisper. "We just started rebuilding and-"

*Thunk*

"What was that?"

*Thunk*

"Drat. They're already in town." Aria sighs and we all look over to the shop's front window.

*Thunk* *Thunk*

Outside of the window, a large eyeball with batlike wings and a tail was throwing itself against the glass. Behind it, more flying eyeballs, flying flaming eyeballs, one-eyed worm things and five-eyed monsters went by.

"Does this happen often? Like a migrating season or something?" I ask.

"No," Everyone else replies together.

The eyeball stops what it was doing and stares eerily at us, bobbing up and down in the air. Its iris reddens and it fires a laser, breaking the glass and misses Ash by a hair before it hits a curtain in the back and sets it on fire.

"…I really wanted to sleep a bit today," I say, feeling my eye twitch. Downing the contents of the bottle of medicine, I draw my sword and Ash does the same. "I swear, when I see the guy who's behind this…"

"Get in line," Reens grumbles, throwing a potion at the eyeball and it explodes in a green explosion. The chemically burned remains are thrown around the room and a piece of the eyeball's wings lands in front of the alpaca who promptly bends down and starts to munch on it.

"Lucy, no! That isn't good for you," Aria chastises the alpaca.

"I'm going to sleep for a while," Alison yawns, putting out the fire on the curtain with a wave of her hand. "Have fun,"

"Third times the charm?" Ash says hopefully.

"It better be," I say, storming out the door.

* * *

 

"MY EYES!" Someone screams in agony.

"They aren't yours, idiot." Someone else states bluntly.

I understand how he feels though. I hate fighting eye themed monsters. I hate it immensely. Why would anyone ever use something as weak as an eyeball as a basis for their monsters? You could blind these guys with just a scratch and that may be where the problem lies.

Have you ever been in a situation where maybe a friend of yours describes a painful scenario that makes you flinch? Say for example, you have a toothpick under your toenail and then kick a wall? Well if someone hasn't done that to you before then maybe I was your first. Wink wink. But anyways, it's kinda like that but since we're all stuck in town fighting them off, we get to see it first-hand. With eyeballs. And many many sharp pointed objects.

Not only that but every time anyone defeats one, its goopy eye juice, vitreous humor or aqueous humor if you want to get technical, gets everywhere and it's disgusting. The ground's covered in this crap along with the snow which still hasn't melted yet. I've slipped three times and all three times, I've accidently ate some snow which kinda made me want to rip my tongue out. Ash tripped eight times and counting and threw up once. There are other annoyances too. One time I stabbed a burning eyeball through and when I yanked my sword out, the retina was stuck on it. When I shook it off, it landed on Ash and he almost threw up again and that almost made me throw up. Overall everything is terrible.

"I-I think we're almost done," Ash says from beside me, still trying to keep his lunch down. Most of the eyeballs were cleared out of town and only a few remained which were being chased around by our allies. Pretty good for about four days.

"When do you think their leader will show up?" I ask, glancing at him as I try cleaning the eye goop from my sword. "Uh, you have something on your shoulder. Here," I cough, slapping a sticky deflated eyeball off of his shoulder. "Got it off," I smile with tired eyes.

"Thanks," He says. "I think he'll be around soon but maybe you should rest. Not to be mean but you don't look so good."

"I know," I sniffle. "I drank bottles of Reen's potions but it's not having much effect." I'm not healing normally for some reason but I don't have time to worry about that now. "Once this is over, I'll sleep for a week I promise."

"Hey you," A short mage walks up to us. "Eli needs you up at the tower. Says he want you to accompany him to see the leader of these monsters. We tracked down his temple thingy so get your ass up there now." He thumbs at the tower from afar.

"Aren't you the squishy mage from before? You're pretty pushy when Eli isn't around," I sniffle.

"And aren't you a shameless  _flirt_? I can't believe you keep getting lucky so many times. It's disappointing how the world is letting people like you get respect," He walks off before I could even process what he was saying. I had to pull back Ash before he could storm after him with a polite but stern retort because he's cute like that.

"That was uncalled for. He could have just said that he didn't like me," I say, keeping myself calm for Ash's sake. "But am I really like that?"

"That…you aren't like that!" Ash reassures me. "You're really cool and more like…princely in that way," He says quietly. "What's with him? It just…it just makes me angry." He tries storming after him again but he slips on the snow again. Luckily, I catch him before he eats more gross snow again.

"It's fine," I say, thinking about punching a wall. "Come on, want to go kick some ass with me?"

* * *

 

"We're almost there!" Eli yells over the wind rushing by us. Both Eli and I were riding the gryphon and Ash was riding in my bag.

"You okay down there?" I check on Ash. His head was sticking out of my bag and he was staring down at the sea of trees far below.

"This is really cool!" He says excitedly. "Is that the place?" Ash asks, sticking an arm out of the bag and pointing towards a fairly small temple on a mountainside. The columns had large golden eyeball sculptures on top of them and that means we're at the right place.

It's exhilarating flying like this with the wind whipping my cape back. I was tempted to ask Eli to get the gryphon to do some tricks. When this is over, I want to take this guy out for a joyride but it probably won't do well for my cold.

"The mages told me they tracked the source of the monsters to this place," Eli says, flying the gryphon lower.

"How come you wanted us to come along?" I ask.

"We only have one gryphon to get us into the air and as you can see, he can only carry two at the most and I'm not sure if the others wanted to come along inside your bag with Ash. You also have a pretty good track record with these freaks. You even god rid of that hydra for us and fixed the bridge at the same time."

"How did you know?"

"I didn't tell him!" Ash says.

"I connected the dots," Eli shrugs as we get closer to the temple. "The day the hydra was slain, I remember Tanisha telling me about a new face poking around town. Then, you basically ripped that Bassault apart with your crazy powers." I wince at his comment. "It made the most sense and you didn't deny it so I'm right, aren't I?"

"You got me." I sigh.

"You didn't explain much about why you couldn't do all of that jumping and blue magic again," Eli says, as we near the ground by the entrance to the temple.

"…You see-"

A blast of wind slams into the gryphon and he shrieks in pain as we're blown sideways. I'm not sure if I should be panicking or glad that I didn't have to talk about  _it._

I lose my grip on the gryphon and get flung to the ground with Ash still in my bag. The gryphon was still pretty high up in air when we got hit so my landing was far from soft.

"Ty, are you okay?" Ash asks worriedly.

"I…don't think I broke anything," I groan, coughing a little. "Everything okay in there?"

"I'm fine but that was a long fall. Can you get up?" He says, pulling himself out of the bag.

"I think so," I groan, pushing myself up to a sitting position. It took more effort than it should and my senses feel like they're clouded over. "I can totally do this. I feel f-fine," I let Ash help me get to my feet, shivering a bit. It feels really cold and I don't think it snowed here. "Now where is this guy?" I sniffle. We both walk deeper into the open air temple and keeping a hand wrapped around the hilt of my sword.

A breeze picks up all of a sudden. It's blowing from behind me and steadily gets stronger until Ash and I have to brace ourselves to keep from getting swept away. The wind swirls into a cyclone in front of me and a figure forms in the center.

"I see. I see so many things," A voice intones and the wind stops. A hooded mage draped in black and red appears holding a metal staff crowned with an eyeball. Also his head is just a big eyeball. I should've mentioned that first. "I see that you have come to my temple to stop my servants and to stop me, The Irismancer."

"Well aren't you creative," I say sarcastically under my breath.

"What do you think he wants?" Ash asks me.

"I'm getting to that part," I reply. "Yes, we came to do that but first you better tell us why you attacked us. Now."

"How can I explain this to you when there is so much that you do you not see? I see the past present and future. And you…you see the world in a way that you are forced to. How sad," I stiffen at his words. I don't understand what he was getting at but if those could see everything then did that mean…

"I see wars coming. I see the shadows falling. I see a time when only the most powerful will survive. I see some will use their powers to protect and some will use their powers for themselves…and even though he hides, I see the one behind it all," his pupil dilates. "Sepulchure."

"Enough of this! I know your type; the ones that dance around the answers and only speak clearly when they're faces look like blown up popcorn. Let me guess, I beat you up and you'll give us we want."

"Fight me then and face my mastery of wind magics. If you defeat me, I will tell you what I see."

"Ash, stay back for a bit. We don't what he can do yet," I whisper to him. "I'll go ahead first." I charge at the Irismancer.

He throws blasts of wind at me and they look like they pack a punch. I twirl around them, feeling them rush by. Just as I'm about to get close and hit him, he creates shockwave of air and throws me backwards. I skid on the ground, sliding to a stop where Ash was standing.

"That gives us some insight," I say, rubbing my back as I stand up. I wobble and almost hit the ground again but Ash is there to keep me steady.

"What's the plan," He asks, watching the Irismancer advance on us, unblinking.

"I don't think he can do more than one thing at the same time. Run and loop around behind him. I'll keep him distracted till then. Hurry," I tell him. Ash nods and runs off.

Quickly pulling my throwing knives from my bag, I throw them at him two at a time. They speed through the air towards the Irismancer but he knocks them away with one blast of wind each. I stand my ground and keep flinging more at him and he does the same. Then, one knife hits and stabs into his shoulder. The Irismancer winces but keeps moving forward and I realize something. I throw five and quickly follow up with five more knives. He blocks some of them but two go through and hit him and a theory grew in my head.

He can see everything but he can't react fast enough to dodge them. Wait a minute…shit he can see everything.

"Ash, stay away!" I yell but the Irismancer has already turned to Ash who had snuck up right behind him.

"No!" I scream, rushing towards them as the Irismancer prepares to attack. Then, something flies out of my bag, zips towards the Irismancer and hits him dead center in his pupil when he turns to see.

Taking the opportunity, I throw another wave of knives at him before he could recover. They all hit and stick and then I'm on him. I make a stab for his eye but he manages to block with his arm just in time. The hit pushes him back away from Ash and I punch him in the stomach. He doubles over and I knee him in his gross eye. It makes a wet squelching sound and he screams in pain. That's what you get for having an eye for a head.

I kick him down to the ground and prepare to stab him through but he rolls on his back and raises a hand.

"Stop," He says, the image of his body fading and flickering. "You have…defeated me." He gets on his knee. "Well done," He coughs as he pants…but he doesn't have a mouth and…doesn't matter. "I will not be able to hold this form much longer. You may claim your prize. Ask what you will."

"Just like that? Um, okay." Ash gets us and walks up beside me. "You want the first one Ash?"

"Sure. Who are you?" Ash asks.

"I am the Irismancer," he says. "I was once a flying eye and a pet of a powerful mage. Most other flying eyeballs were trapped for centuries before Zarek and Palladia released them but not me. I spent all of those years reading over the shoulder of my master until I learned enough to take this form," He explains, putting a hand on his chest. "My powers have grown ever since. When the others were released, many were drawn to me. With their help…seeing through their eyes, I can now nearly see everything." That sounds kind of terrible. How can anyone handle seeing everything at once?

"Why were you attacking Falconreach? What did you want?" I ask him.

"As I said before, dark times are coming. I see powerful forces all moving at once. They are all grabbing for power so when dark times arrive...They will have more power than the others. They will be in a position to win the battle for their chosen side or for themselves. One such source of power is what the Guardians are guarding. The tower at Falconreach is one of the few still standing. My eyes went searching for this power, and when they found that tower, I made my own grab at that power hidden below it."

"What are the towers protecting? Some sort of weapon?"

"…I cannot say."

"Do you think Eli know anything about this?" I ask Ash.

"Didn't he say that there wasn't anything like that in the tower?"

"But this guy can see everything."

"Do you think it's hidden in the tower without the guardians knowing?"

"Maybe but anyway…Irismancer, you mentioned Sepulchure. Tell us what you know about him."

"Not long ago he was a hero who accomplished many great deeds. He had made many good friends in his adventuring, like you. Then he lost something that was dear to him." Oh…so he's that type of villain. Tch. "He felt that if he had more power, he would have been able to stop this event. In his obsessive search to become stronger he withdrew from his life and his friends. They tried to help him but he wouldn't let them. Then he discovered his cursed weapon, the Necrotic Blade of Doom. His weapons did make him stronger but poisoned his mind further. Then it began to poison his body.  
The armor that he wears…the armor of the Doom Knight...it actually wears him. He has become something else, bound to the darkness."

"An abomination then,"

"Uh, that weapon…"Ash begins. "Was it a Doom Weapon?"

"What are Doom Weapons?" I ask.

"Ah yes, the powerful Doom Weapons. Lore had never seen anything like them until they appeared a few years ago…though they aren't the first to be ever created it seems," He says, regarding me carefully. "Several spirits of pure elemental darkness came to our world from their own plane. It is difficult for a spirit of pure darkness to remain in our world. The light from a single candle could destroy them in their natural forms. There are many ways for an elemental spirit to remain in our world but the most simple is to become bound to a weapon or item. Thus, the Doom Weapons were born. Weapons of purest darkness with corrupt and evil minds of their own." His stare was becoming unnerving. "Everyone can ignore their whispers for a while, but in the end they end up dead or mad or worse... like Sepulchure."

"Oh, and one other thing!" Ash says. "If you can see everything, including the future, how come you didn't see us beating you?"

"I…um….you can't just…I don't exactly…not certain…if you look at it this way…" He forces cough. "I'm fading! I can't hold…my form…much longer…" He acts out strain. "Farewell!" And with that, he fades away completely.

"I guess that just means that the future isn't always sure," I say to Ash.

"I see you've beaten him," Eli says and we turn around. He's walking with the gryphon next to him. Both look bruised but were otherwise okay.

"Made it down safely?" Ash asks.

"Yes, we landed in a tree. I'm sorry we couldn't get out in time to help out but it looks like you handled everything just fine without me. How did you win?"

"I'm wondering the same thing actually," I say, looking around the ground. "Ash, when you were about to get attacked, something flew out of my bag and hit the Irismancer. Did you see what it was?"

"Oh, that?" Ash hold up a rock in his hands. It was like any other rock but it had glasses and a fake nose and moustache. It was the rock that was always in front of the guardian tower and the kids would always throw it around. It startles me when it hops up and down in Ash's palms. "This is Geopetal. She's a pet rock."

"Wow, saved by a pet rock. Didn't think that would ever happen." I pat the rock in gratitude.

"Let's go and check on everyone back in Falconreach. Tell me about what happened on the way back." Eli says, hopping on to the gryphon's back.

* * *

 

"That was bothersome but now we better get some rest or I might die right here," I cough into a tissue as we enter the dragon egg's cavern. After Ash and I told Eli what we found out, we decided to go check on the dragon egg before we went back home to sleep.

"I'm…I'm so tired I can't even…" Ash yawns and I notice the dark bags under his eyes. Everyone must be feeling exhausted.

"It's okay, I understand…Ash? Do you see what I'm seeing?"

"No…I don't see anything notable…Everything okay?" He asks when he sees me shaking.

"Where is the egg?"

"It's at the back of the ca…oh boy." Ash buries his face in his hands.

The statue of the dragon holding the egg was gone. In its place was a hole. A jagged gaping hole. We both came to the edge of the hole and peer down. A huge stone underground city lay beneath covered in massive cobwebs and there were…things moving around down there. Things that were crawling towards us.

"Does this mean…Ty, I don't think I can take anymore. It hasn't even been two hours after the last one."

I didn't even hear him speak. Anger was boiling in my stomach and in a bout of frustration and intense rage, I swore loud enough for the entire continent to hear.

But then I remembered that Ash was still here and I ended up turning my curse into a word that rhymed with hawk.

"FAWK!"


	17. One After Another-Part 2

"Where. Is. The. Egg?" I demand, punctuating each word with a blow to the head of the chaos weaver or something. That's what they called themselves anyway.

"Ty, I don't think he can tell you anymore…" Ash says, wearily. It breaks me out of my trance and I grimace at the fallen chaos weaver.

"Eug, maybe I took it a bit too far," I say, wiping some green slime or spider guts from my armor. It was only slightly less disgusting than the eye juice from before.

"Maybe." Ash states, looking over the battleground.

After the initial shock from losing the egg and the promise of a third consecutive war, Ash and I bolted away and into the portal to warn Lady Celestia. She in turn dropped her tea and told us to hurry back to Falconreach before the incoming army gets to them first.

When we did get the news to everyone in Falconreach…saying that they were unhappy with the news is an understatement. And we were almost finished fixing Falconreach too.

The moment the armored skull adorned half-spider monsters showed up and accompanied by dog-lizard things called togs and big hairy spiders, everyone's crazy started to show. Three wars one after another is not good for us.

"How are you feeling Ash?"

"Yes."

I'm debating with myself on which side was scarier. I'm going to say us since spider parts are decorating the roofs of the newly built buildings and every other second I can hear a collective victory screech among our allies. It isn't pretty.

"I-I think we might need some serious downtime after this," I sigh, feeling my arms shake.

"And some therapy." Eli adds, appearing behind me and Ash again.

"Eli!" I yelp and Ash…just sorts of looks at him.

"How doing you? I mean, are you guys doing okay? You seem tired and you seem twitchy," Eli asks Ash and I respectively.

"Who? Me? I'm fine. F-I-M-3 fine! Ash might need some rest though," I smile, feeling lightheaded. My smile must have been lopsided or something as Eli's expression didn't change. The bags under his brown eyes were very dark. Then again, so was everyone else's. We're like an army of exhausted rabid raccoons. I like raccons hehehehehe…No. No, snap out of it.

"Eli? Is that you?" Ash asks, squinting at him.

"How about both of you go close your eyes for at least an hour. I keep telling everyone to take rest shifts but no one's listening. I'm going to have to clobber all of you and drag you to the inn myself," Eli sighs. "Could you guys at least save me the trouble? The inn's right behind you anyway."

"It is?" I turn around. "Well what do you know. C'mon Ash. Let's get you to bed for a bit."

"You too, Ty."

"I told you, I'm fi…mmnnee." I slur my words a little bit and stare in confusion at why there were suddenly three Elis.

"Stubborn adventurers. You and everyone else. Do you know how long you've been fighting?"

"A couple hours?"

"Five days. Straight. Not that I'm unhappy that the war is going well. Those nightmare spider people are dispersing and their leader will probably show at any moment. Twilly even sent word that the search for your egg is progressing."

"Wait a sec," I blink at him. "Twilly's looking for the egg? How do you know about the egg?" I ask as I almost stumble over. Luckily Ash pushed me back into place.

"Knowing what caused this war helps our progress and Lady Celestia sent me the message. Now off both of you. I had an hour of sleep yesterday and I expect you to have the same right now." He points to the inn.

"But-"

"Now."

"Make me-"

"Ty, maybe we should get some rest," Ash yawns before I could retort. "I won't be able to get any rest if I know you're out by yourself. I'm going to feel left out."

"Fine…" I turn and head to the door of the inn.

*BAM*

"Ty, that's a wall."

"I know. I just walked too fast," I mutter, rubbing my forehead and opening the door.

"Get some rest. Heck, maybe it'll be over when you wake up. I'm sure you'll appreciate not having to take care of the leader," Eli says. "Don't worry about your egg either. Twilly's resourceful; he'll get it back."

"Fine fine. I guess closing my eyes for a second won't hurt," I grumble.

"Good," Eli states, pushing both Ash and I into the inn. "Now if I see you or anyone else in here leave without getting some rest, I will barricade this door until all of you do." With that, he slams the door on us and runs past the window apparently chasing another warrior down.

"…I don't think we're that out of it, right Ash?"

"…Wha? Sorry but did the ground just turn blue?"

"Ty? Ash?" Serenity approaches us, looking as perfect as ever. "Did you get taken here by Eli too?" She asks. In her arms, she was holding a bundle of medical supplies and various potions.

"Yes, Eli made us. I don't see why," I huff, rubbing my dry eyes.

"I'm worried about all of you. All of you adventurers are getting worked into the ground. It's not good for the body or mind," She shakes her head and steps aside to let us see the others hanging around the inn. Many were passed out on chairs but most were face down on the floor. Some were awake but they were… to give an example one of the rogues was repeatedly stabbing a severed chaos weaver head muttering "that was my last funnel cake."

"Thanks to Eli, all of the rooms are full and now the rest have to stay here. No one seems to mind that much but…you see Cameron over there?" Serenity nods to one of the mages sitting at a table looking at a picture. "He's been staring at that picture of a head of cauliflower for an hour now. I'm not sure of what to do."

"They'll be fine when we get some downtime for once. They're probably just stir-"The sound of a chaos weavers head smashing against the window distracts us. Its face was squished against a window and a hand grabs the back of its head and repeatedly slams the head against the window until the chaos weaver passes out and slumps on to the ground. The warrior that did that looked down blankly at what was at his feet before he started to squeeze his cheeks with the palms of his hands while humming "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" loudly. Eli walks up behind him, grabs him by the back of his neck and drags him around to the inn's door.

"Get in there!" Eli yells, swinging the door open and pushing the warrior in and slamming the door behind him. The warrior promptly falls face first on to the ground.

"Ehem, like I was saying, everyone's just stir crazy. We'll be fine once this whole thing blows over. By the way, was that guy humming "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" or "Baa Baa Black Sheep?"

"I thought it was "ABC." Ash says, wobbling slightly.

"Could be either one of them. They all have the same tune anyway."

"Really?" Ash asks before humming each of them. "You're right! They do sound the same!"

"Alright," Serenity places the medical supplies on a nearby table and gently pushes us towards the stairs. "How about that nice rest now? You look like you need some."

"Well, it doesn't look like we have a choice without getting into trouble," I concede. "But I'm still worried."

"Twilly knows what he's doing," Ash pats my shoulder and misses, ending up grabbing a handful of black hair instead. He stares it for a few minutes before realizing that it wasn't a shoulder and starts patting my shoulder…while still holding the handful of hair."And besides, we might be more of a help when we stop seeing dots float around the air."

"Well look who decided to join the house of crazy," Someone says from up on the stairs. Aria, riding atop of her alpaca, descends to meet us. The alpaca trots down, making Aria's red ponytail bob up and down.

"What are you doing here? Did Eli force you crazies in too?"

"Maybe…but what about you, Aria?" I ask, petting the alpaca as it tried to chew Ash's head. He gently bats the alpaca away before it can get a mouthful of his hair. "Are you helping out?"

"Yes. Grams still won't let me fight. It really boring in here but I don't think I should let Thomas out to fight these guys. Them being spider creatures and all."

"How are things going for you?" Ash asks.

"Well…"

"Put the chair down!" Reens orders someone from upstairs. The sound of a loud crash comes soon after.

"Do they need help up there?" I step towards the stairs, sword at ready.

"Hold up," Aria says, moving her alpaca between me and the stairs. "We can handle this, doofus. Just go to sleep or something. You're freaking me out. Have you even blinked since the war began?" She stares me down while the alpaca stares off into space.

"Occasionally…Fine," I give, falling onto the ground and curling into a ball. "Just for a while…" I mumble, pulling my red hood over my eyes. Ash just falls into a heap on the ground.

"Ok…I'd ask you if it was uncomfortable on the ground but we don't have room left anywhere else. See you later I guess…" Aria sighs before her alpaca trots up the stairs.

Ash and I were left in silence. By the looks of it, he fell asleep the moment he hit the ground. My eyelids are feeling heavy and the floor was feeling a lot more comfortable. I guess just an hour or two of sleep wouldn't hurt.

…

*BAM*

"THREE SECONDS YOU SON OF A BITCH!" I jolt awake, tugging my hood off angrily. "I wasn't even lying down for three seconds!"

One of those chaos weavers had busted through the floor. In a fit of anger combined with frustration and exhaustion, I push a guy off of his chair (he stayed asleep) and throw it at the chaos weaver.

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US?" I demand. The chaos weaver barely dodges the chair and answers back indignantly.

"What do we want? What do you want?" He demands back, raising his front legs, prepared to attack. "You attacked my brethren first!"

"We did what? I don't remember us doing that. Ash did we do that?"

"Nnnnnnngggg." Ash groans, rolling over in his sleep.

"Uh…mister…" I begin, trying to make my messy hair neat.

"My name is-"He then starts a series of hisses and high pitched shrieks that make up what is probably his name."

"Yeah, we didn't attack you. No one was aware that you even existed before you came up here." I explain.

"Really? Then you didn't drop that dragon statue directly into our town square as an initiation of war?"

"You didn't steal it? So the statue and the egg just fell through the floor?"

"Oh, so that's what actually happened. It was all just a misunderstanding. It's funny actually." The chaos weaver starts laughing and I couldn't help but join in. All of this crap over an accident.

"Well now that we found out what happened, you can just give us the egg and statue back and we can end this tedious war," I say, sighing in relief.

"No."

"Alright, so we'll wait for you to come back and what the hell did you just say?" I ask and suddenly my relief was squashed like this asshole will be soon.

"We found out that the egg was very important but we were confused as to why you would attack us with it. Now that we solved that problem, we're going to keep the egg and concentrate on our main objective," The chaos weaver raises his front legs again. "To eat your delicious insides."

"Eww, you creeps like the taste of human?"

"Yes. Don't you want to eat us?"

"Last time I checked, no but we're getting close to that now," My eyes dart around to the others still lying about.

"No matter," He, I'm assuming it's a he, shakes his head. "As my queen's underlings have failed in capturing your town, I will do the honors and you can have the honor of being my first meal. You do look quite tasty."

"Thanks but I'll pass," I yawn, stretching my arms and feeling my joints crack. "I'm going out to get some fresh air. I hope your death isn't too painful."

"What are you talking about…" He trails off, suddenly noticing the many pairs of blood shot eyes staring him down. All of the exhausted-to-the-point-of-insanity adventurers look like they were waiting for a chance to rip something apart and here it was. The chaos weaver turns his head to look back at the hole he made in the floor. It was already blocked off by three guys. One of them was holding a severed chaos weaver leg meaning to use it as a bludgeoning weapon. The room was dead silent but you could hear the dread that was radiating off of the chaos weaver. I was close to feeling pity.

"Good luck…" I try to imitate the sounds in his name but give up. "Whatever." I try picking Ash up and piggybacking him but since he might wake up if I did, I pick him up bridal style instead and head for the door. No one moved as I open the door and get outside. The moment the door closed behind us, loud shrieks and squishing sounds leaks out of the building.

I place Ash down in a sitting position and lean him against the wall of the shaking inn before I sit down as well. Ash was beginning to slide down so I lean him against my shoulder to cushion his head. Comfortable on the warm and only slightly slimy grass, I start to doze off.

"No! Not in the spinneret! AHHHHHHHHGGGGGG-"The sounds of anguish was the last thing I heard before I fell asleep and it brought me such peace.

…

"I wouldn't go in there if I were you," I say, eyes slowly opening. Ash was still sleeping on my shoulder. "How are you Tanisha? Do you feel okay?"

"Me? Don't worry about it," She says brightly, hand on the doorknob of the inn's door. "What are you guys doing out here? What's going on in there?"

The door swings open immediately after she asks that and Serenity, the alpaca and Reens dragging Aria along with her, dash out of the inn in a frenzied hurry. Confused, Tanisha gazes into the inn and the blood drains from her face. She staggers back a few steps before she runs to the nearest bush to hurl.

"What's that hanging from the ceiling?" An adorably squeaky voice asks. "Did you guys have a piñata party without Twilliiiiii oh my gosh oh my gosh oh my gosh-"

Reens pushes Aria to Serenity and runs into the inn. Seconds later, she dashes out with a horrified looking Twilly in her arms. He had a sac roughly his own size in his hands

"What happened in there?" Reens pants, looking quite shaken herself. He braids were frizzled and her cap was lopsided.

"Is it really that bad?" I ask, rubbing my eyes.

"Wow, I feel so much better," A rogue yawns as she leaves the inn followed by a row of other adventurers. They all seem cheerful and relaxed even albeit soaked in…something green.

"Are you all alright?" Serenity rushes up to one of the mages, shaking slightly.

"We're great! Better than great!" He says, smiling. "We should do this more often haaa…." He flops down onto his front and stops moving. Serenity drops down beside him and starts shaking him. "Nope! Just kidding with you," He jolts up. I think he was lying though.

"Ty?" Reens touches my shoulder gently, like she was being cautious about something. Me maybe? "Twilly has something for you."

"…Ty! I gots the egg back all by-myself!" He says, snapping out of his stupor. He holds out the sac and drops it into my lap gently.

"Twilly, that's amazing! Did you go all the way down there to get it?" I pat Twilly's soft head and he grins.

"Everyone was so busy so Twilly snuck down and got the egg. We should go see Lady Celestia and put the egg back."

"…Is it over yet?" Ash yawns and rubs his eyes before lifting his head from my shoulder.

"Just about," I stand and crack my shoulder joints. How long were we sleeping? "Serenity, do you need help cleaning up the inn?"

"We'll help too!" The other adventurers offer.

"I wouldn't mind the help but…maybe we should wait a bit?" Serenity suggests carefully, clasping her hands together. "You all are very tired and maybe the mess will be easier to clean if it's…dryer."

"What's going on here?" Eli rushes over with Tanisha, still a bit queasy, and other guardians at his side.

"Eli! Exactly the person I was looking for!" Serenity exclaims, walking over to him. "I was just telling everyone that they don't need to worry about the inn. Everyone is much too tired to even think properly" She whispers that last part to Eli.

Puzzled at first, Eli was about to question Serenity but her eyes dart over to the inn, motioning for him to look. Slowly, Eli shifts his gaze to the inside of the inn and his expression turns…well he kinda looks like he want to burn the whole building down.

"Everyone, how about we just leave the cleaning for tomorrow. Spread the word," Eli saunters over to the door and slams it shut. "I just came to tell all of you that the enemy has retreated. Let's get the work done tomorrow when all of you feel…saner." He announces. "The ones who are mentally stable can begin work."

"Who says we aren't mentally stable?" The mage from before argues.

"Say the first thing that comes to mind when I say…Spider."

"Lunch…okay maybe." The mage concedes and a warrior starts humming his ABCs behind him.

"Sounds good to me," I offer a hand to help Ash up. "We need to go return the egg and fix the hole in the cave."

"No fair," Aria pouts. "How come Ash gets to go with you and everyone else has to work."

"Well I…" Ash stutters.

"You wanna come too?" I offer her.

…

"Wow Ty, your house really is huge!" Aria gapes at the overly long hallway. Her alpaca was eyeing the vase of flowers by the door.

"Told you." Ash smiles.

After taking the egg back to Lady Celestia, she examined the egg and told us that it was unharmed. When we got to the cave, the statue and floor had already been fixed.

"Your sister came by to help," Lady Celestia explained. "She went back to your home. It would probably be best if you went back to meet her and get some rest as well. And before I forget, Domenico-I mean your father contacted me. He sent me a message concerning communication issues. You may not be able to contact your other family members for the time being. He mentioned a dimensional disturbance."

Just what is that guy up to? This hasn't happened before and sure some disturbances happen when we move around but they-

"Hey Ty…It looks a bit different in here," Ash pokes me and breaks my train of thought.

"Yup. It looks like Alison decided to take over. Must mean that she feels stronger," I look around. The hall was still miles long but now, so was the ceiling. It's really high. Sky high almost. It was even painted to look like the sky, fluffy clouds and everything.

"Wow, the clouds are moving!" Aria points.

"She put up new walls and doors too. Even the floor got rethought. She must feel much better," I muse at the cream colored walls and long crimson carpet. There were no designs yet but the paintings were still up but now they were enlarged and the frames became golden and intricate. The old wooden doors got replaced by double doors and a little stand with a decorated flower vase was by each. All of them were different. There was just one thing though.

"It's really cool but…don't you think it's kinda claustrophobic?" Aria asks.

"The hallway got a bit smaller I've noticed. It's hard to move around." Ash confesses.

"This is just what Alison would do; sacrifice practicality for attractiveness." I groan, flattening my hand against one of the walls. It feels like something is moving around just underneath the surface of the wall. Alison must be thinking really hard.

"Hey, where's the light coming from? There aren't any candles or open windows." Aria says, trying to find a light source.

The moment she finishes, one of the vases shatters and sends sharps fragments flying in all directions. The light disappears and we're left in total darkness.

"No one move!" I say firmly before the banging sounds start up. Ash grabs on to my arm and Aria cries out when the ground begins to shake. Then the sounds cut off and we're left in silence.

"What's going-"

"Shhhhh!" I shush him.

The sound of something heavy and stone being dragged across the ground startles us. The sound was distant at first, like it was far down the hall. But it was getting closer.

"Ty, what was that?" Ash whispers to me just barely loud enough for me to hear.

"Just stay quiet for a moment." I reassure him. The scraping was getting closer and it sounds like it was moving faster.

"The door!" Aria whispers and I could hear her fiddling with the doorknob. "Why is it locked?" She asks, desperate. "Open it! Open it now!"

"It's going to get us!" Ash freaks, letting go of my arm and I assume he's at the door with Aria now, trying to get it open.

"If you're going to try to open the door, you better hurry. It's going to get us in Three..." I begin counting down.

"Ty, what are you doing?" The scraping was close enough to make teeth tingle and the strides were getting longer too. "Ty, stop!"

"Two." They were slamming on the door now, frantic for escape.

"One."

Both Ash and Aria scream and then the lights came on.

"You can open your eyes now." I tell the two kids huddling under the alpaca.

"Huh? What the…" Ash peeks out.

"There's nothing here." Aria says, crawling out and getting back up.

"Not nothing…there were a few changes," I motion over to the walls. In between the doors and paintings were candelabras hanging from the walls. The vase was fixed too. "And the hall's even narrower!" I yell down the hall.

"It's way too early to scare us y'know. It's not even October yet." Ash sighs and gets out from under the alpaca who's been stoic the entire time. Nerves of steel, that alpaca. I'll give it that.

*Bang*

The door nearest to us slams open and all of us yelp in shock.

"Alison, no jump scares! Those are tasteless!" I yell at the air.

"Does Alison want us to go through the door?" Ash asks.

"Probably but we can't get it anyway," The door was blocking the entire hall. The hall wasn't wide enough for the door to open all the way.

"Open the other door on the right, Alison," I call out. In response, the door closes, slams open again, partially closes, closes all the way and the other door opens a tiny bit…and then it flies off of its hinges and slams against the opposite wall. "Nice going."

"Are you coming or not?" Alison yells from inside the room.

All of us file into the room which apparently was the kitchen. It was the same as Ash and I had left it days ago. Same old wooden walls with gaps in them and a dark stone floor. Dried plants were still hanging from the ceiling and all the furniture was where we left it. I guess she doesn't have enough energy to change it either.

"Uh, this is…really different from the hall." Aria says.

"I know," Alison says. She was sitting at the table with a book open in front of her. Alison's orange hair was curled at the ends and she was wearing something that belonged at the bottom of the bottom of a noble child's closet. She looks fine by all means but her eyes tired and worn. "Are you another one of Ty's friends?" She asks, addressing Aria.

"Yeah," Aria nods, moving towards the table.

"Friend like Karim or just friend?" She asks, looking at me this time.

"Just friend."

"You must have just finished that war. Wow, that sounds weird but not in this world I guess," She laughs quietly and gains a confused look from Aria. "If you're hungry, I made some soup. It's hanging over the fire."

"I'll go get some bowls." I say.

"No don't," Alison stops me. "You'll probably break something the way you're moving about. You're practically asleep on your feet. I need the exercise anyway…thanks to someone." She says, closing her eyes and levitating three bowls off of the counter by the oven. "Just sit down."

Doing as she says, Ash and I sit next to each other and Aria grabs the seat next to Alison and looks into her book. Her alpaca walks up behind Aria's chair.

"Are those drawings of the hall?" Aria asks, pointing at a sketch on the page.

"Yes, I drew this to help me concentrate," Alison says, looking up.

"So this place is magic?" Aria asks. Spoons and slightly singed white bowls of chowder float to the table and land in front of Ash, Aria and I. One of the plants hanging from the ceiling drops on to the table in front of the alpaca and he starts munching on it.

"It's a kind of dimensional magic. I haven't taken full control of a pocket of space by-myself in a while." She sighs. "And as you can see, I can't do much."

"But you remade the whole hall!" Ash says through a mouthful of soup. "It's a really long hall too and now it looks awesome!" He takes another spoonful of chowder and starts chewing. "This is delicious. What's in it? It's chewy."

"That's a surprise," Alison smiles wryly. "But back to what we were talking about. This place is hard to manage. It takes a lot of mind power."

"Doesn't magic just take mana?" Aria asks. "I'm not a mage but that's basic right?"

"Normally but for our…condition, we need much more than mana," Alison says, flipping the page of the book. "At our main home and others that we put up, like the one we're in now, we established a "connection" of sorts with the house and our minds." She points to her noggin and then down at the book. "That way we can control everything that goes on in here and see everything that happens. It's like an extension of ourselves."

"That sounds cool," Aria says. "How come I don't see this kind of magic anywhere else?"

"Everything has a drawback," I say, tapping the side of the bowl with my spoon. "Sucks but those are the rules." I'm starting to get really uncomfortable with where this is going.

"For one, since it's connected to my mind I need to concentrate hard to keep mishaps from happening. Like when you mentioned where the light was coming from. When I realized that I forgot to put up the lights, I had a freakout."

"Is that what that sound was?" Ash asks.

"No, I just wanted to scare you," Alison laughs and the house suddenly tilts, making Ash, Aria and I grab our bowls before they could slide away. She stops herself and the house rights itself. "Drat. Sorry about that. Besides that, there's also the chance that my subconscious might leak and…stuff gets weird…" She trails off and feel a shiver running up my spine.

"It gets awkward…" I say, sipping the soup. It's tasty like always but knowing Alison, the ingredients probably instill fear in the hearts of children. "But usually we have more than one person controlling the house so it lessens the load."

"Then how come lazy pants over here isn't helping?" Aria teases and points her spoon at me. I drop my hands into my lap and clasp them together. My throat suddenly feels dry and I stare down at my hands.

"Right, I meant everyone but Ty. It's a special case…" Alison says, glancing at me in concern.

"What kind of special case?" The bandit wearing the pink bow around his neck says through a mouthful of dried greens.

"Well you see-"I begin nervously. Then my mind screams at me and I do a double take on him.

"Lucy! What happened to you?" Aria jumps out of her chair and runs to the other side of the table. Ash freaks and falls off of his chair.

"Ty, is this another one of your friends?" Alison asks, showing no shock.

"Explain yourself alpaca man!" Ash gets back up and orders him shakily.

"So not a friend?" Alison asks.

"No," I get up from my seat. "No need to do anything either, Alison. I'll take care of this"

"Hold on a sec!" The bandit stalls hastily. "I was just minding my own business when I suddenly became an alpaca. It's not my fault that this happened."

"How?" Alison asks, flipping another page in her book nonchalantly.

"I was just minding my own business listening to my leader brag about some girl and then…She yells "think fast asshole," jumps down from a tree and then everyone turned into an alpaca." He says, pointing at me. The room falls silent and Aria and Ash stare at me.

"What? Nothing bad happened," I shrug. "I was just having some fun."

"I made a sweater out of their fur…" Ash groans, face-palming. "I am going to burn it now."

"I wonder what it looks like now…But anyways, why didn't you run away like the others?" I ask the shaking bandit.

"Because I…well, being an alpaca was better than working for Drakath," He coughs.

"That's…really sad." Are these guys a band of bandits or losers?

"I guess I'll show my way out…" The bandit says nervously, backing out towards the exit.

"Should we get him?" Ash asks, keeping his eyes on the bandit.

"He ate too much and made a lot of messes. He was also sorta useless anyway and now that I know he's was really a human the whole time…ewwwww. I bathed him."

"He's not a threat so it would be a waste of energy to get him." I sit back down in my chair and start drinking the chowder. "He didn't even get useful information now that I think back."

"So he's useless." Alison states.

"Basically."

"You…You're all horrible people!" He yells, turns and charges out of the kitchen and down the hall. I hear the door swinging open and then slamming abruptly.

"Think he knows the way back?"

"Doubt it."

I was about to take another sip of the chunky and chewy chowder when I noticed something. It was staring back up at me.

"Alison, my soup has eyes. Why does it have eyes?" I poke the bowl again and more eyes rise to the surface.

"Eh? Well, we had so many wars, it was like an outdoor supermarket and everything was free. Since there wasn't much meat involved this time, I went around plucking out eyes. I got a ton from the eye war and the spider eyes are very fresh. Aren't they just so chewy?"

Ash turns green and falls into fetal position on the ground.

"Bathroom!" Aria yells. "Where's the bathroom?" She runs towards the hall.

"Twenty miles down on your right," I yell after her before kneeling next to Ash. "Hey, are you going to be alright? Want a bucket?" I soothe his back.

"How can something so gross taste so wonderful," He clutches his stomach.

"Weenies," Alison giggles. "I remade your room for you. Get some rest children," She waves to me before melting into the ground. Hopefully, Ash didn't see.

"C'mon, Ash. Let's get some rest. I'll carry you to bed if you're too tired." I'm ready to collapse now but now that the war's over, I have a bunch of things to look forward to tomorrow.

…

"I don't even know how I managed to walk," I groan, sketching a picture of a dravir into my notes. Ash and I were sitting on the ground leaning against a tree by the creek where I first met Robina. Ash was leaning over and watching me draw.

"Wow, you're pretty good at this." Ash marvels at the details of the scales and armor.

"Years of practice and broken windows would do that to you," I smile.

"I know how you feel," Robina says as she flicks another coin into a box. "And that makes nine-thousand and one."

"snorrggogoeihgahjajjjj," The sneevil from before was still hanging upside down from where he was the last time, still snorting hard enough to cause a brain aneurism.

So far, it's been a good day. Ash, Aria and I woke up late and went to Falconreach to find it already clean and tidy. Spider guts and eye juice was easier to clean up than the snow apparently. Most of the crazies had gotten better and every now and then, I heard something along the lines of "how high was I yesterday?" from snippets of conversations. We dropped Aria back at her house before we went to check on the egg with Lady Celestia. It was like nothing changed at all.

And now we're here, relaxing under a shade of a tree on a warm day. I even finished beginning the notes on all of the creatures I've encountered up until the dravir one.

"How long do you think this'll last?" Robina asks, pulling out her bow for practice.

"Longer than a day please?" Ash asks the merciful whoever that looks over this world.

"Normally I wouldn't mind the excitement but lately it's been way too much," Robina shoots an arrow at a tree and follows it up with another. The first arrow digs into the tree and the second arrow hits the exact same spot, splitting the first arrow in two. "But it looks like I'm still fine. Maybe all of you are out of shape," Robina jokes.

"Maybe…" I sigh dejectedly, looking up at the arrows. "We won three out of four so that's nothing to sneeze at.

_…like the poor man's bowler hat on display alongside the wigs and chapeaus of the gentry!_

"Eug…"

_Dear, your swordplay is mediocre at best; I suppose you learn as well as you can relax._

"I got better," I mutter, scratching more lines into the sketch. "And kinda I get what you were saying now I guess…"

"Is there something wrong?" Ash asks, taking an apple out of my bag and taking a bite.

_I could certainly master my swordplay...in a day if I wanted to. Everything else too!_

"Robina!" I suddenly spring up on my feet.

"Ty?" Ash chokes on his apple.

"Yeah?" Robina looks over.

"Please teach me archery!"

…

"Ty, stand straighter and keep your feet apart. Your ponytail's falling apart again too," Robina readjusts my posture and my hair band. "And Ash, stand still."

"Guys, don't you think this is a bit early to be attempting this?" Ash asks, standing against a tree while balancing his half eaten apple on his head.

"Of course not. This is the best way to start," Robina answers solemnly.

"Are you sure about this?" I swallow, clutching the beginner's bow and arrow that Robina had.

"No hesitation now. Nock the arrow and hold firmly like the way I showed you." Robina says. Holding the bow and arrow up as she told me, I pull back on the bowstring, push the bow forward and look him in the eyes.

"Aim high please," Ash says, big brown eyes wide.

"Don't worry, I got this," I nod, hands quivering. I take a deep breath and let the arrow fly.

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA HAHAHA, you missed, stupid human," The sneevil, still hanging upside down, snorts between his laughs. The arrow had completely missed the wooden red and white target tied to him.

"You almost hit him that time," Ash says encouragingly. I smile gratefully at him even though the ground's littered with at least a hundred of my failures and fifty apple cores. It's been four hours but at least I got close.

"I think that's good for the day," Robina puts a hand on my shoulder. "You made some progress and learned how to shoot and tried out some aiming methods. It still takes you forever to aim but you're getting there. You picked the best teacher so you'll be skewering targets with hawk eye precision in no time," She assures me, crossing her arms. "…By the way, what are you doing with that apple, Ash?"

"I'm just playing around," Ash answers, knocking the apple off of his head, catching it and taking another bite.

"Aren't you going to get sick from eating all of those?" Robina says, kicking a core on the ground.

"If an apple a day keeps the doctor away, I don't see how eating hundreds a day doesn't keep death away," I say.

"Anyways, let's stop and clean this mess up."

"One more time," I pick up an arrow from the ground and wipe the sweat from my forehead. "I think I can get it right this time." I pull my glove up before taking my stance.

"Don't you think taking off your gloves would help your grip?" Robina walks over and inspects my gloves. "Or at least you can wear fingerless gloves. The lack of friction might be impeding your shooting."

"It won't have an effect. Magically crafted gloves, remember?" I pull back the bowstring again and take my time aiming.

"Stupid human can't even see straight," The sneevil snorts and breaks my concentration.

"Will you shut up!" I yell and accidentally lose my grip on the bowstring and arrow. It launches straight into the bushes. "Damn it! Again!" I pick up another arrow from the ground angrily.

I was about to fire when something falls out from the bushes and hits the ground with a thud.

"Ty, you killed someone!" Ash freaks.

"Oh crap, we need to hide the body quick!"

"Stop joking around. It's just a skeleton," Robina walks over to the fallen skeleton and kneels next to it. "What the…why is it wearing a hockey mask?" She turns to us and holds up an arrow pierced and chipped hockey mask.

"Hey losers." Zorbak poofs onto a box by the creek, scowling angrily. "You took out one of my hockey players. You're going to pay for that." A hoards of undead skeletons, slimes, eyeballs and evil trees slink out of the bush. All of them were wearing hockey masks.

"…I'm not in the mood," I drop the bow and arrow and make my way over to him, all emotion dropping from my face. Sensing the mood change, Zorbak hops off of the box and tries to increase the space between him and his soon to be murderer. Instead, Ash of all people sneaks up behind him and pins Zorbak to the ground with his foot.

"Thank you, Ash."

"No problem."

"Now then," I bend over to pick Zorbak up by the scruff. "What the shit are you doing here?"

"You're going to pay for this! This army of undead was just about to pass by from Doomwood and I wanted them to become part of my hockey team. Then I thought, meh, why not reanimate two dead birds with one stone and nudge them towards Falconreach."

"…I don't care that what you just said sounded so stupid that made my IQ fall and the fact that you know what hockey is defies my perception of time. I do care that you're about to attack Falconreach though," I stare into his beady eyes. "Turn them around. Now."

"But I already put hockey masks on all of them er...I mean you can't make me!" He replies, trying to squirm out of my grip.

"If we go through another war, I'm going to explode," Ash looks at me pleadingly.

"Zorbak, if you don't turn them around now, me and the rest of Falconreach will take them all down in less than a day. I'm not even kidding. After that, there'll be no time to run. We will hunt you down."

"Mehehehe…even if you could do that, what's the worse you can do?" He feigns confidence. I smell fear on this one and it gave me an idea. A terrible idea.

"My sister is in town. She writes as a hobby and for money. She loves romance." I bring him level with me and smile calmly though I couldn't muster the strength to show any emotion in my eyes.

"So what? Are you going to bore me to death with her sappy stories?" Zorbak spits back.

"You wish. She has a certain preference for a certain type of love…" I pause and my smile grows wider. "The subtle sexual tension between enemies no matter how implausible. I wonder…who do you hate the most?"

"Hey now…"

"Twilly, he's so cute and kind. How could you hate a guy like that?"

"I hate that stupid goody goody. Period."

"I don't see where you're going with this, Ty." Ash says.

"It doesn't matter what's really going on but why ruin a good story with the truth?" I tip my head to the side and wink. "Why sister will write that shit good. She'll write it so good. Believe me, she's a goddess/god when it comes to writing. Tell me I'm lying. TELL ME I'M LYING!" I screech at him and Zorbak makes a high pitched scream.

"Heehee, did I scare you?" I giggle innocently. Zorbak pants and nods quickly, not wanting another scare.

"Well it gets worse. Everyone in Falconreach will see to it that the copies get published and spread worldwide. Shipped to every corner of this world. But they won't be fiction; they're going to be "memoirs." Your memoirs; stolen and leaked to the public by an anonymous source. Stories of how you're torn apart by how much you feel for Twillies and have to put up a tough exterior to hide it will become a guilty pleasure to the lives of many. And we'll be there to spread the rumors; make them as plausible as possible." I throw my arms into the air, still holding Zorbak whose jaw had been slowly dropping the entire time. "It'll be amazing. It'll be so elaborate that everyone will question you and your reputation will be ruined. Maybe you'll even start to question yourself finding that in the deepest darkest corners of your pitiful soul, you'll find that you really want to feel Twilly's soft and pretty fur under your paws and-" I go on, steadily getting louder and louder. Ash just stands there and stares at Zorbak like he hated everything.

"FINE FINE! I'LL MAKE THEM GO AWAY! JUST STOP! PLEASE!" He raises a paw and the monsters disappear back into the bushes. I loosen my grip and Zorbak slips out and immediately disappears in a puff of smoke.

"What was that?" Robina asks, raising a quivering finger and points in our general direction. She had been standing back there the whole time listening to my crazy.

"Alright, I'll get him this time," I bounce back to my usual self and grab the bow and arrow.

"Hey, Ty. What do you think we'll have for dinner?" Ash asks.

"Don't ignore me!" Robina shouts.

…

"Any moment now," I tap the glass ball in my hand. I'm very comfortable reclining on this tree branch.

It was late in the afternoon and I had excused myself from Robina's lesson. For some reason, she was eager to end the class and start again in a few days.

"Get lots of rest now. Lots!" She had said before turning me towards Falconreach.

"Ash, would you mind heading to Falconreach first? I'll catch up with you later. I just have something I need to do." I told Ash before leaving. He didn't ask questions and went back to Falconreach, which was great.

"And here he comes," I smile, stuffing the ball into my bag as I listen to the stomping of a certain dummy coming to meet me. "Looks like it wore off on everyone."

"Show yourself!" Drakath shouts, sword drawn and at ready. He was right below my branch so I quietly slip down on the ground behind him. He didn't notice at all. "Where are you?" He shouts to the trees.

"You're alone…too bad. I wanted a little more of a challenge." I sigh loudly behind him. He swivels quickly but I move to stay behind him and out of sight. "But wow, you actually showed up."

"You!" He swings around and tries to attack me. I quickly jump back and he ends up slashing the air. "I'll rip you to shreds for what you did."

"The alpaca thing? I told you, it was payback," I dodge another one of his flimsy attacks, twirling around it for an added flair. "Did you bring any worthwhile tricks for me?"

"I don't need tricks to defeat you!" He growls, taking another stab at me but digs his sword into a tree when I sidestep it. He tries pulling the sword out but it's stuck in there good. Too engrossed in trying to regain his sword, I take the chance to pull out a throwing knife and bring the tip to his throat, barely piercing the skin covering his adams apple.

"Yup, you're really convincing me."

He freezes and stares down at me, hatred apparent in his green globes.

"You're pretty strong to be able to do that," I nod over to the stuck sword. "But you really do only have muscles for brains. You even came here alone. What if I had brought reinforcements to arrest you?" The realization hits him and he grimaces for a second before covering it up and bluffing.

"I would have defeated all of your worthless friends. A peasant like you is nothing but dirt for me to trample on."

"How stupid are you?" I sigh, shaking my head as he starts shaking in anger. Because of that, my blade draws a drop of blood. "And look what you did. How do you injure yourself on someone else's weapon?"

Drakath swings his fist at me suddenly but his moves were easy to read and predict. I tip my head back and he misses completely. Then in a swift motion, I slash my blade up and cut a shallow scratch up his cheek and severing the band keeping his forehead protector attached to his empty head.

Drakath stumbles back, clutching the cut and I catch the forehead protector before it drops on the ground.

"Looks like you dropped something dummy-"I freeze up and look back at Drakath. Something was weird about him.

"You bitch, I'll-"

"What the hell?" I gape at him. It stops him and he drops his hand from his cheek. Small beads of blood were welling up from the cut. He turns to see if anything was behind him. Finding nothing, he faces me again in confusion.

"Just what are you looking at?"

Before he could react quickly enough, I rush up to him with a hand extended. He brings up his fist defensively, ready to punch me.

"Your forehead," I reach out and touch the palm of my hand to his forehead and he freezes mid-swing. "I…I like it." I couldn't say why I liked it. I don't even know why myself. I just...think it looks nice.

"Hu-Huh?" He stammers, staring at me. He was completely baffled at what I was doing. So much that he didn't even take the chance to attack me. So we stand there staring at each other, my hand on his forehead and slightly pushing his black hair up. His eyes were wide and I could see him trying to read my facial expression and trying to make sense of this situation.

"What are you trying to pull?" He snaps out of his shock and moves to connect his fist with my skull.

"I have a weapon and you don't," I state evenly and what do you know, while he was distracted, I brought the knife up to his throat again. And I still had my hand on his forehead. "Three to one. You lost this encounter so why don't you run home and regroup," I suggest smugly.

Drakath is absolutely furious. His face was reddening and his teeth are clenched together so hard I was sure they were going to shatter.

"Well? You don't have a chance against me right now so go."

He opens his mouth to argue but stops. No weapon and at my mercy. Grimacing, he breaks away and starts to move back to his base camp or whatever he has sent up at the moment.

"Wait a sec!" I call to him and he turns to see what I was doing. "You forgot something!" I yell gleefully and easily pull the sword out of the tree before throwing it at him. Yelping, he falls backwards and the sword spears into the ground right at his feet. Good aim, huh?

"Bring your A-game next time," I call to him.

Drakath stares at his sword dumbfounded for a second before scowling and picking himself up. He grabs the hilt and pulls the sword out of the ground before running off into thicker part of the forest. He could have attacked but he probably thought better of it and went to regroup. Or maybe he's just extremely embarrassed.

I'd say that was a success. I didn't even need to draw my sword.

"Today was pretty good…and tomorrow better be the same," I say to myself before heading back to Falconreach, making sure that the new forehead protector was still in my bag.


	18. A Happy Surprise

_"Is this really for me?" I ask, gazing down wide-eyed at the charm in my hands._

_"I wasn't sure if you were going to like it or not and I'm not very creative like most of my kind and um…If you don't like it…" He stammers, wringing his hands nervously._

_"No! This is beautiful! I'm very happy that you made this for me," I smile, gently hugging him. "You're the best."_

_"It's…Well…"He stumbles over his words, blushing bright red before taking a deep breathe to calm himself down. "Happy birthday," He says, softly touching his lips to my cheek._

" _I just love you so much."_

"Ty? Are you sleeping?" Ash yawns, rubbing his eyes.

"How am I supposed to answer "yes" to that?" I ask jokingly, lifting my head up from his shoulder. Cracking my sore neck, I blink to refocus my vision. Right, I was in my room with Ash and not sitting outside on the grass with Beathan. Both of us were sitting on the squishy white couch in the communications room and reading some books that Alison showed him. Apparently I had dozed off on his shoulder and started hugging him; my arms were still wrapped around his waist. "Was I mumbling in my sleep?"

"No. Why do you ask?" He says, curious.

"Nothing. I was just having a nice dream." I sigh, resting my head on his shoulder again. Suddenly, he became rigid and I quickly release him and scoot away. "Sorry. Didn't mean to invade your personal space."

"Uh…no it's okay…I don't mind," He says the last part quietly for some reason, burying his face into the book in his hands. It was titled "The Crusades and the Assassins."

"Hey kids," Alison knocks on the door. "I made dinner. Hurry before it crawls away." Ash shivers but it was a small reaction compared to the one he had a week ago when Alison said that it might crawl back up his throat when he was sleeping. In fact, the past week a half was very quiet overall.

After the little bout of paranoia that everyone had, the days have been relaxing. Falconreach fell back to its usual routine though things had gotten a bit busier. All the rebuilding was done but since word spread of Falconreach's marathon of war victories, adventurers from all over traveled to town and it was getting crowded. But it's good for the economy I suppose. Grams, Serenity, Reens and the others were getting a lot of good business and Eli was faring well with new recruits.

For us, we recuperated (oh gods. I can't believe I threatened someone with Alison's writing) and settled into a routine as well. Ash and I would wake up early in the morning, go visit Lady Celestia and the egg and then head back for town before we started training. We watched the guardians in their training sessions, went on little excursions together in Surewood Forest and around Warlic's home and I kept at my archery lessons with Robina. I started to teach Ash some tricks too.

Ash wanted to become a knight and I wanted to help…And I guess I'll admit that I still need to get better too. Am I still hung up over my loss during that fire war? Of course not…maybe…probably…okay, yes. I swear, once I find Skeletor-on-fire, I'll put him out permanently.

But back to what happened during our rest days…well, nothing much though I'm not complaining. Tea with Lady Celestia is pleasant, the egg hasn't really changed, Aria comes over sometimes, Reens made pink ferns the other day, Robina says I still suck at archery, Alison visits Patch every day for some new ideas and Eli scares the shit out of Ash and I whenever we set foot in Falconreach. The only surprise was that one time that we visited the smithy.

"Ash, Ty, what do you need?" Yulgar greeted us from his newly built house. Konnan waves at us from the anvil and walks over.

"Just checking the prices again," Ash said, waving back.

"I'm just tagging along." I smiled and nodded to them. "I keep telling you, Ash. I'll buy a better sword for you. Just let me-"

"No way!" Ash protested. "I can't let you spend money on me. I haven't even paid rent."

"Friends don't pay rent at my house," I laughed, wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

"Well, I don't wanna be a burden and besides," He stands straight and puts his hands on his hips. "I'm going to be a knight one day and I gotta be strong on my own…or something like that." He shrunk back down and I hug him tighter.

"Of course. Of course," I laugh.

"So, have the bells started to ring yet?" Yulgar asked and Ash quickly jumps out of my hug and grabs Yulgar by the arm, dragging him into the back of the smithy.

"What was he asking about? Does Ash have bells he needs fixing?" I asked Konnan.

"It's nothing very important," he shook his head, grinning slightly. "Putting that aside, do you have a minute? I need to give you something."

"Sure. What is it?" I asked and he beckons me to follow him over to the smithy's counter. He goes behind the counter and takes a belt out of the drawer.

"This is for you. Free of charge," He laid the belt out on the counter. It was a silvery grey belt with lots of pouches. The belt seemed to also radiate a kind of magical aura like it was protected by something. "Before you say anything, this is thanks for before. I won't take no for an answer."

"But this is really special," I run my fingers along the belt, feeling them buzz slightly from the touch. How did Konnan make this?

"One of my best. I noticed that whenever you needed a throwing knife or potion, you had to reach back into your bag. Having this belt can save you time and keep the fire away." He pushed the belt towards me.

"What do you mean?" I lifted the belt from the counter, feeling how light it was.

"I…have some experience with fire magic," He explained, briefly glancing at Ash and Yulgar examining some armor. "If you wear this, fire won't hurt you as much. Hopefully that helps you in the long run. Go on; put it on."

I looped the belt around my waist and fastened the buckle. It fit perfectly and I could feel the magic emanating from the leather. But then it brought up another question. How did he know my waist size?

"Your sister came by and helped me out," He said quickly, noticing my expression change. "And could you…tell her I'm not interested," he stammered, nervous. "I don't mean any offense but…"

"What happened exactly? Just give me some details."

"Well…she kinda…ran her fingers through my hair and told me that she thought that I had nice hair…"

"Oh. That doesn't mean she was coming on to you. She just wanted to have your hair." I sighed, exasperated at my sister's not-subtle-at-all techniques.

"Really, that's a relief. W-wait a minute. What do you mean by she wanted my hair?" He asked.

"I don't think I should be telling you but…when Alison sees an attractive or practical physical trait on someone, she-"

"Ty, look!" Ash ran over with a small piece of armor in his hands and Yulgar trailing behind him. "I had enough gold to buy one." He said proudly, chestnut eyes wide and shining with glee.

"That's great!" I said, resisting the urge to just buy the whole thing behind his back.

"We should be seeing Lady Celestia now I think," Ash said.

"Right, I'll see you two around then?" I head to the door with Ash.

"Come back soon," Yulgar said and Konnan still had that dumbfounded look on his face that was somewhere in between confusion and shock.

"Wait! Tell me why-"The door closed before Konnan could finish. Thank the gods or whoever.

So that happened.

And then there's the matter of Destiny Boy.

He's a loser. It's ten to one as of now.

"This is kinda sad. Really sad." I roll my eyes, leaning myself on a tree. It was day six of our meetings.

"Shut up." Drakath scowled between pants, hanging upside-down from the tree I was leaning on. Like the dummy he was, he didn't notice that I was leading him into a small trap that I set up, got his foot stuck in the loop of rope and then he was hanging by his foot about an inch from the ground.

"Once I get down there, I'll kill you! You cheat." He growled, trying to pull himself up to cut himself loose. He's been doing that for the past half-hour. Geez, I even let him have his sword but he couldn't even reach. Not with his upper body strength at least.

"You said that the last five times. And I'm not a cheat. I said that I would be here to let you have a chance to catch up but I didn't say that I was going to go too easy," I yawned. "By the way, you still haven't brought reinforcements. Wouldn't you have a better chance if you did?"

"Well…" He hesitated and froze up, slightly swinging back on forth from the tree. He clenched his teeth together and was looking like he was thinking very hard to find an answer. Luckily, he hadn't sprain his brain and died. "I…I…How come you haven't told anyone?" He stammered, face flushing probably from hanging upside down for so long.

"Because I'm confident that I can beat the crap out of all of you poor idiots. Maybe teach you a thing or two too. But don't dodge the subject. What you're doing doesn't make sense." Of course, I sounded like a hypocrite but I know I could handle whatever he had. It's obvious that by now, he has no more favors left.

"You…I can take you on by myself. I don't need anyone else," He tried to pull himself back up but his muscles give out again. He was getting tired and I was getting bored.

"You do know that "Pride comes before the fall," is a saying, right?" I shook my head. I guess that means we both had the same problem. "I'm going to need to go in about ten minutes so I'll be nicer today." In one swift motion, I draw a small throwing knife from my belt and shoot it at the rope keeping Drakath hanging from the tree. It makes a clean slice and Drakath got dropped on his head.

"Ow, fuck!" He rolled on to his stomach, clutching the sides of his head.

"Get up, dummy," I pulled him up by his collar. "I'll actually bring out a weapon this time." At first, he didn't do anything so we just stared at each other until he decided to shove me away and grab his sword off the ground. I swiftly pulled out a small knife from one of the pouches on my belt and unhurriedly pointed it in his direction.

"I'll play nice though so don't be too worried." Drakath scowled at my words and lunged for me. He slashed down at me and I deflected it deftly without much effort. He tried again, putting more strength into his attack and aiming for my legs. I also deflected that one. He kept trying but he was quickly running out of energy. It was too easy to parry his slashes. He was slow and his movements gave too much away. He even took a moment too long to look at where he was going to try to attack me.

Finally, his last attempt at murdering me ends with him losing his grip on his sword and falling on the ground.

"Oh, come on," I sighed and threw my hands into the air. "Even I feel bad for you," I put away my knife. This was going nowhere. "At least hold your sword correctly!" I grabbed his sword, made my way over to him, grabbed in his hand and wrapped his fingers around the hilt. "Look, I learned this five minutes into my training and I have no idea how you haven't gotten the hang of it in ten years at the least," I rearranged his grip on the sword and he didn't react at all. He just sat there, staring at my hands trying to make his get the proper grip on his sword. His jaw was slowly falling and he acted like no one's ever touched him before. "Why are your hands so soft? They're like a girls," I grumbled, almost getting his grip right.

"I-I…Wha-sto-uh Get your hands off of m-"

"Done!" I interrupted him before he could pull his hand away. "This is how you should hold it from now on," I clasp my hands over his that was still loosely wrapped around his sword. "Do you understand?" I look back up to him.

Now I admit that this was probably something really stupid but I knew what I was doing. Seriously; I weighed the odds of this biting me in the ass and…Look, does anyone really expect this loser to make anything out of this? Any sane person would disregard this little incident and forget what I just showed them.

But why am I doing this? If he is going to listen, I don't have to be bored or feel sorry for him when we fight. Really it's just…a passing whim. That's all.

Drakath reacted weirdly though. First he seemed angry. Then he was confused and gaped at his hand gripping his sword with mine still clasped on to them.

"Well?" I tipped my head to the side and smiled mischievously. "What do you think?" He must have been thinking pretty hard cause his face was starting to flush even more. He poor little brain must be working overtime trying to process what was happening. Then, he gulped, took a deep breath, was about to say something…and then shoved me off, jumped to his feet and ran. He ran fast; faster than ever before. Like he was being chased by a cheetah-fire breathing rabbit or some monster like that which probably exist in Lore.

"Start doing some push-ups too!" I called after him, laughing as I lost sight of his back.

After that, he acted like nothing happened. He still kept showing up for some reason and I kept beating his ass. One thing changed though. He started gripping his sword correctly.

I didn't mention anything….though today…Drakath seemed a bit different. And I think I was acting differently too.

"You're smiling," I stated, blocking another blow from him. The days after the one where I showed him how to grip his sword before he ran off, he was getting slightly stronger bit by bit. But he was still slower than an obese slug. "Do you have another surprise for me like the time before?"

"…Just you wait," he smirked, taking another stab at me. The tip collided with the side of my knife. "Once I get my reward, you'll be dead before the week ends." He pushes harder and made me stumble back a bit.

"Oh, really? Thanks for the warning," I said, nonchalant. In a fraction of a second, I moved out of the way and he accidently dug his sword into another tree. All the trees around there have at least a slash mark or stab mark on them because of our play-dates. At least it doesn't take him like four fucking hours to get his sword out by himself anymore.

"I was afraid that you had actually started to enjoy our meetings but now that you've just warned me…." I began, skipping up next to him as he kept trying to pull his sword out. "Maybe I'll tell everyone back in Falconreach that you let it slip that you were threatening me and that we should hurry and kill you before you do us any more harm," I grabbed his forearm and he froze up. "Shall I do that?"

"Like you really would," He said after a moment of hesitation. "And even if you did…" He tried to tug his sword out of the tree again. "What are they going to say when I tell them you've been meeting with me for the past week and a half?"

"My word over yours, dumby," I shook my head. "You sure have a big mouth," I mused, tapping my chin. "But you didn't answer my question."

"What?"

"Shall I tell them to help me hunt you down?"

"Ha, you wouldn't even know where to look for me. Once you've rounded up your friends, I'll be miles away." He shook my hand off of his arm. Feigning a look of deep thought, I crossed my arms and leaned on his back. "Will you stop touching me?"

"You come here every day at different times. Sometimes early in the morning, three o'clock sharp or when the sun's halfway down," I stated a matter of factly. "How were you even sure that I was going to be here?"

"…"

"Why don't you think on that," I said, feeling the small crystal ball in one of the pouches on my belt. "But first, answer the question. Shall I tell them to help me hunt you down?" If it was me and a cavalry of assorted adventurers and guardians, all of them wanting Drakath's head, I'd win. And even if he was prideful and slightly more intelligent than a jellyfish, he'd know there would be no escape.

"You…" He growled and I could feel him shaking.

"Yes or no?"

"I-I…"

"Shall I ask them to help me kill you?"

"…No." He finally conceded.

"Good," I sighed. "I don't want to either." I pushed off of his back and headed for home. "I'll be seeing you tomorrow or whenever you want to show up here," I raised a hand in farewell, not looking back. Man, I must have looked cool. "Do your best at whatever you're doing."

"Wait a minute!" Drakath yelled. "What was that?" I felt a hand grab my shoulder and turn me around. I was face to face with Drakath and he was livid, gripping both of my shoulders hard. "Is this some kind of mind game you're playing?"

"I don't know. You tell me," I goaded him.

"Then you have to be insane!"

"Probably," I shrugged. "But if that's the case…what about you. You're the one who keeps showing up and not actually doing anything to me." He was going to argue with me but when he opened his mouth, nothing came out and his grip loosened. "But you know what? This all really is sort of a passing whim," I push his hands off of my shoulders and turned my back to him. "If you really don't like this so called "game," then just don't show up anymore," I started to walk back home again. "And I'll tell you now. If you don't show up then we'll probably never meet again."

I kept walking and he didn't stop me.

"I sure sounded like a real villain," I mumbled out loud.

"What was that?" Ash asks, cleaning up the remainder of the books.

"Sorry, I was just getting lost in my thoughts," I say, tapping a book on Ash's head. "Let's go get some food."

"Yeah, let's…" Ash trails off, looking over my shoulder. "Ty, one of your ball thingies are flashing." He points.

"Yo, anyone there?" Someone asks.

The small crystal in the corner of the room rose up and floats towards us. An image of Bradley, Emesto and Nova flicker into existence in the crystal sphere. They were all sitting by on the edge of a fountain and Bradley was trying to keep Emesto from jumping in and Nova was wearing a floppy sun hat with the tag still attached. It looks expensive.

"Look, it's Ty and Ash," Nova says. "We finally got the connection up!"

"Good job," Bradley leans over to get a better view of us, grabbing a fistful of Emesto's hair to keep him moving.

"Guys, you made it to Poshley Heights." I exclaim.

"Hi there. Nice to see you again," Ash greets them awkwardly. "Is he okay?" He asks, looking over to a struggling Emesto.

"Bradley! That hurts," Emesto complains, widening his grey eyes into a begging puppy face.

"Emesto, if I let you go, you'll try to eat the fish in the fountain again." Bradley says, shaking his head almost solemnly.

"But I need to exact my revenge on that chef from the train through his extended family!"

"Right. So Ty, Ash, I see you've been doing well," Bradley says to both of us.

"Where's Alison?" Nova asks, twirling one of her messy pigtails.

"Oh, we were about to have dinner. I'll go get her," I say.

"No need," Alison says from the doorway. She was holding a rectangular pan, a few plates, some napkins and tupperware. There was a pretty normal looking juicy meatloaf was steaming in the pan. "I felt you calling us so I moved the food here," She says, sitting down in the middle of the room and laying the plates out. "Come here, it'll be easier to talk." She takes out a kitchen knife and slices into the meat loaf, making it scream. The scream reverberates around the room but no one reacts. Well, Ash flinches but Alison's antics don't scare him as much anymore.

"Aw, it's my favourite despairing meatloaf," Nova says, eying it hungrily.

"I'll make it the next time we're all together," Alison assures her, slicing another piece for Ash.

"I HAVE CHILDREN," The meatloaf cries out in agony.

"Where are you guys exactly?" Ash asks, accepting the plate of meatloaf.

"Here, let me show you," Nova says, turning her crystal ball or whatever conduit she's using to let us see the landscape. "This is Poshely Heights."

Around them were small but very fancy looking houses. They seem to be old but were still quite…"posh." A hotel was towering over them, made completely out of brick. The walkways were paved and we saw two golden weathervanes by another blue cottage. There were some flowers dotting the grass and meticulously cut hedges surrounded some of the houses. There was also a food cart nearby too; the vendor was a lady with braids selling spaghetti.

"We're settled into the hotel right now and since there's no danger of us running into the man with the red hat or any of his partners, we'll be sticking around for a bit," Nova says. "Also, hurry up and show us where you guys are. All I see is the inside of a house."

"I would but I seemed to have lost the medium that I was going to use for showing you the outside," Alison sighs and I keep myself composed. "It's a miniature crystal balls like the ones that we're using now. But I just can't seem to find it." She takes a bit of her meatloaf slice. We could hear muffled screams coming from her mouth.

"Oh and before I forget," I quickly change the subject. "The sword that father gave me. Nova, did you help make it?"

"I was wondering when you were going to ask that," Nova smiles. "That baby was a fun one to create."

"Does it have a name?"

"Nope. Not yet. This one's completely brand new. No history or anything. Say, where is it?" Nova asks.

"It's over there in the corner," I motion to my armor and sword spread out on my cape along with Ash's gear.

"How has it been so far?"

"It's been very good. It hasn't dulled and it's really durable."

"Or course it is. All my creations never go dull and are not dull in all," She laughs. "But what else?"

"What else?" I think about my past battles and while the sword was light, extremely sharp and didn't seem to ever dent…there wasn't anything else. It's also pretty but…"I don't see anything else."

"Exactly," Nova nods. "It's durable, sharp and easy to use. Good places to start but there's no…pizzazz," She emphasizes. "On its own, it isn't really interesting besides being better than your average blade. But here's the fun part," She giggles into her hand. "The sword is hollow."

"Hollow? You mean like its empty on the inside?" Ash raises a brow. "Does that mean if you tap it, it'll make a noise?"

"I don't mean it in a physical sense. I mean it in a…hmmm. How should I explain this," She ponders to herself.

"I believe that you mean that nothing is occupying the blade at the moment," Bradley says. "In other words, Ty's sword was created to hold a spirit."

"A spirit? Like a ghost?" Ash gasps.

"Not a ghost silly…though it can be I suppose," Nova shakes her head. "And maybe spirit really isn't a good word for it. You see, it's something that you "attach" to the sword. As you fight with it, not only do you keep stronger but the blade and so called spirit gets stronger too. For example you could have-"

"Caught ya!" Emesto woops triumphantly, hand wrapped around the tail of a huge fish.

"Emesto, no!" Bradley tries to tug him away but it was too late. "Not the Nibbles!"

Another fish, that sorta resembles a piranha, jumps out and bites hard into Emesto's arm. Emesto yowls and starts swinging his arm wildly. The fish loses its grip and Emesto sends it flying into the fountain.

And then the fountain exploded in a rain of water, carnivorous fish and my siblings.

Screams fill the air and a bumpty slides by. One of the fish slams against Nova, who was currently holding the crystal ball, and the image fizzles out.

"Oh come on!" I groan, tapping our crystal ball furiously. "Why is it always at the important parts?"

"Oh well. We'll ask next time," Alison shrugs, dabbing a napkin on her mouth. "They'll probably sort it out by tomorrow and we..." Alison trails off, looking into space. Her expression was pensive at first, like she was appraising something. And then it turns grim. "Both of you, get your armor on. Aria's at the door with Thomas and it doesn't look like she's happy. I'm letting her in now."

Immediately, Ash and I grab our gear and run out into the hall to meet Aria. She was sprinting down the hall and shouting for us.

"Problem! We have a problem!" Aria comes to a stop in front of us. She seems shaken and her clothes must have been thrown on in a hurry.

"Is it another invasion?" I ask, swinging my cape on. I meant for it to look majestic but since the hall was still really narrow, it hit Ash's head and knocks a vase off of a small table. "Oops."

"It's okay," Alison says, walking up from behind us. The broken pieces come back together and the fixed vase floats back onto the table.

"No, it isn't an invasion but that lady with the silver hair came out of the portal. She's looking for you and she's rounding up some adventurers and guardians. Rolith and the Pactogonal knights are riding their way here now." Aria quickly explains. "They're going to get together and ride to help someone."

"You brought Thomas with you right?" I kneel down to her level. "How long did it take you to get here?"

"I rode Thomas to get close but we had to walk to go through your pathway to actually get to your house but it didn't take long. Eight minutes maybe?" Aria answers hurriedly.

"Alright, let's go. They must still be getting ready." Ash, Alison and I follow Aria out of the house and we all climb on to Thomas the gigantic spider. Thomas was chittering anxiously as we got on.

"Alison, can we just start hopping there now?" I turn back to Alison who was sitting behind Aria and I with Ash.

"If you're exiting, you don't need to use the path that I showed you."

"What the hell, Alison?"

"You mean we didn't have to take that route? But we've been doing that every day." Ash moans.

"It's good exercise for you." Alison shrugs.

"You could've-"I start.

"Thomas, back to Falconreach as fast as you can!" Aria prompts her spider.

Thomas bends her knees and launches herself out of our yard and through the orange lit sky. The suddenness of our departure almost made me swallow my tongue. Even with that bad start, I marvel at how fast our house shrunk from view and how nice the sunset was from up here. My hair and cape whips back in the wind and may or may not be billowing in Alison and Ash's faces. The speed we were going at was making my heart pump and the feel of the wind was great.

Thomas's bounds are huge. It took no less than five bounds to get to Falconreach. We land right in the middle, between the inn and the smithy. People clear the area for our landing and when Thomas hits earth, she makes the ground shake which knocks several people down.

"Give us some warning next time," Eli walks over to us, cross. "Your landing almost spooked the horses."

"Sorry, Eli," I apologize as I jump down from Thomas. "What's the situation?" I look around us. A hastily formed group of adventurers and guardians were standing together getting geared up. Others were dashing around getting villagers to safety lest we get attacked as well.

"Ty," Lady Celestia emerges from a group of guardians and rushes towards me. "Thank goodness you're here."

"I'll let her explain. Be ready when the Pactogonal Knights arrive. We ride soon." Eli nods to us curtly and leaves to help organize the others.

"Are you safe? Is someone threatening you?" I ask Lady Celestia, clasping both of her hands.

"No, I am not the one in danger," Lady Celestia shakes her head. "But my colleagues at the Temple of the Four Winds have sent me a message. They are under attack. We must help them and secure the…Ash!" Her eyes widen at something happening behind me.

"Ash? What are you-"I turn around and time slows down.

Ash, who had stood up to jump down from Thomas, slips up his footing and begins to fall. I watch in slow motion as his facial expression changes from surprise to confusion and then to disbelief. He twists his body to fall in a better position but ends up falling on his arm with an audible crack.

"AAAAHHGGG, my arm!" he gasps, clutching his arm.

"Ash!" I cry as Lady Celestia and I rush to his side. Aria freaks and jumps down to join us.

"Hey, Ash. Watch your footing. You don't want to fall and break your arm," Alison warns him stoically. I think that was sarcasm.

"Ash, oh gods, you broke your arm getting off of a spider. You didn't even get really injured in the last three wars but you break your arm getting off of a spider. How is that possible?" I say, worried but at the same time trying not to laugh.

"I can use magic to heal the pain but healing it too quickly will cause it to grow back incorrectly," Lady Celestia places a hand on Ash's arm and it glows soft blue. "I'm sorry but it won't be safe for you to come with us."

"Sorry, Ty." Ash says glumly. "You'll have to go alone."

"But what about you?"

"I'll take care of him while you're away," Alison slides down the spider while holding her skirts down. "We'll wait here until you get back," Alison assures me, getting on her knees beside Ash and Lady Celestia. "I'll take it from here," She says to Lady Celestia almost serenely. Lady Celestia hesitates, levelly staring back at my sister before nodding and going to stand beside me. "Also, Ty doesn't know how to ride a horse so you'll need someone to help her." Alison adds as she rearranges Ash's position.

"The Pactogonal Knights are here!" A guardian, who sounded like Tanisha, announces as she points to the approaching knights on horseback. Sir Rolith was leading them followed by Sir Valence and Sir Vivor. They come to a halt beside me and the Lady.

"Lady Celestia, we have received your message," Sir Rolith bows his head to her. "Let us handle the villains attacking the Temple of the-"

"Is that who I think it is?" Sir Vivor rides up to me. Leaning in to get a closer look, he unsheathes his sword suddenly and hits me on top of my head with the blunt side, making me yelp. "You didn't even say good-bye. Sir Casm was worried sick," He scolds me as I hold the spot where his sword hit me. "He was like " _Don't be so worried; she can take care of herself,"_  and stuff but he was being sarcastic. Actually, I don't know if he was but I'm still angry. Then we hear that you're making a name for yourself and becoming one of King Alteons Elite Knights! I keep saying that I taught you but no one believes me and Sir Casm got mad at me and-"

"That's enough, Sir Vivor," Sir Rolith stops him from ranting. "We have to go. Now."

"Yes sir!" Sir Vivor salutes his captain. "Ty, can you ride?"

"Uh…no, I haven't ridden a horse before." I answer, embarrassed from his scolding and the fact that I couldn't control a horse. Eric even laughed when I crashed the mule into mother's window.

"Then get on here kid," Sir Vivor beckons. "An Elite Knight has got to know how to ride a horse." He reaches a hand out.

"Alison, take good care of Ash and take Aria home," I say to them before taking Sir Vivor's hand.

"Like I said, don't worry about a thing. Ash'll be fine," She says. "But really? You didn't even make it to the actual fighting."

"I can take care of myself!" Aria snaps, keeping her eyes on Ash.

"This sucks. Ow. Be careful, Ty. Ow. Tell me about the battle when you get home," Ash says through gritted teeth.

"Lady Celestia," Sir Rolith offers a hand to her. "Please direct us to this temple." The Lady takes his hand and other knights help her up onto the back of the horse behind Sir Rolith. She pulls her hood up over her head and sits on the horse with both legs hanging off one side.

I grab Sir Vivor's hand as well and he helps me up on to the horse right in front of him.

"Hold the reins like this," Sir Vivor hands me the reins and positions my hands. "I'll guide you so don't panic."

"Right…See you later guys. I'll be right back." I say to Ash, who was hyperventilating, Alison and Aria.

"Wait just a second," Alison stands and runs over to me. She reaches out a hand and clips something on my belt. Looking down, I realize it's my pink ambrosia charm and fish charm that she's attached to my belt. Panic invades my mind.

"Take them back!" I try to take them off. "I can't wear them to battle! I might lose them! Where did you get them anyway?" She grabs my wrist to stop me.

"They were still in that box in your room. I was disappointed that you didn't even wear them the last few wars." She turns her gaze up to me, eyes steely and unyielding. "You're out now. Going off to battle. If you don't wear them, you'll do those two a disservice."

I open my mouth to argue but I'm reminded of the memory I recalled earlier today. I gaze at the charms on my belt and my throat tightens. I shake off Alison's hand and look straight ahead.

"Is everything okay?" Sir Vivor puts a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry," I look back and assure him. Alison was already going back to help Ash. "It's just some family stuff. Let's go."

"Let's move!" Eli and Sir Rolith charge to the East exit and the rest follow. We speed out of Falconreach and into the approaching darkness of the forest. I was hearing his wing beats again

… **...**

"We're getting close," Lady Celestia warns Sir Rolith. She looks towards the horizon in worry.

We had ridden for about half an hour now. Or maybe longer; I'm not very good at estimating time. It was completely dark now save for the light that was guiding us to the temple and filling us with dread.

An eerie red glow was coming from the sky directly above where the temple should be, according to Lady Celestia. It was the same eerie glow from the first war I had been in since I arrived here.

"Do you think it's Sepulcher?" I ask Sir Vivor. "I recognize it. That light."

"If it is, we're in big trouble." He answers, voice steady.

"There's something up there! Behind the clouds" An adventurer yells. Up above the temple hidden in the dark clouds, a shape shifts and I can see the vague outline of wings.

My fingers tingle and the horses were moving way too slow for my liking. I could feel the evil emanating from the sky and I need to get there. I need to.

"We must move faster!" Lady Celestia takes the words right out of my mouth and Sir Rolith raises his hand signaling the rest of us to pick up speed.

"Hiyaa," Sir Vivor whips the reins and we race down the path.

Through twists and turns we ride, hooves beating down on the ground and leaping over stray debris. At the rate we were going, we'd be there in three minutes at the most.

"I smell…smoke!" A guardian warns the rest of us.

"Mages! Prepare your spells!" Rolith shouts orders.

When we reach a hill, the temple right at the top, a monster jumps out at us. It was a cube of green meat wearing a backpack. It reaches into the bag and throws a bomb at us.

"In coming!"

"We don't have any time for this!" Rolith whacks the bomb back at the monster with his hammer. It explodes in the monster's face and blasts him away.

More monsters jump out of the dark and slow us down. More green meat cubes, stink bugs and humanoid vultures swoop down at us. All were trampled on by the horses, turned into ice cubes or shot down in a rain of arrows and my throwing knives. We were in good formation and they hardly slowed us down.

"They must have been attracted to the fire or came to scavenge," I say, shooting down another humanoid bird monster with another knife.

"Keep pressing!" Rolith leads our rush to the entrance of the temple. Lady Celestia whispers a few magical words and a ball of light shoots into the sky. She must be signaling to her colleagues that help is on the way.

The fires were burning bright in the temple and what I think is the roof was strewn across the ground. Pieces of singed paper and ash were swept up by our arrival and the heat was too hot for comfort. There were no priests to be found; just hordes of undead.

Skeletons were destroying the temple, knocking down pillars and burning the shelves and books. Their numbers were most concentrated at the back of the temple. That must be where the priest are.

"Attack!" Eli shouts and the mages let loose a shower of ice, water and light magic, taking out most of the fire in the temple and mows down a number of skeletons. The rest of us stampede through their ranks with our steeds. I unsheathe my sword and smash a skeleton's skull as Sir Vivor takes full control of the horse and directs us through the crowd. Skulls and bones were soaring across the room; we were taking them down fast. I had already removed one of my gloves and subtly, I was brushing my hand against some of the skeletons. It was too chaotic to notice what I was doing and each one collapsed in a heap as I got stronger.

"There's too many of them," Sir Vivor groans, trying to keep the horse from rearing back. All of us had hit a wall of skeletons that we could not move no matter what we did. I hack and slash at them but every time I cut one down, another fills its place or it stands right back up.

Suddenly, the horse rears up and I hang on to its neck to keep myself from falling. Then someone familiar catches my eye. In the back of the temple, I saw the priests. Many were on their knees and injured. Some might have been dead. One in particular was hunched over something that looked like a white chest. The person standing over him laughs wickedly and kicks him off.

"Stand down, peasants. The dragon egg is mine!" He gloats, signaling for one of the skeletons to pick up the chest for him. "Now burn with the rest of your temple," He kicks the priest again for good measure. Then he turns his attention to the white chest in the skeleton's arms. His green eyes flash with greed and I have to say…it was kinda hot. Too bad he couldn't actually back that all up with his actual strength.

I couldn't help myself. I just had to.

I throw a knife straight for his forehead. It clangs painfully against his forehead protector and he stumbles back, holding the spot where it hit. Blood seeps out from under his forehead protector and I can assume that it hit the top of his forehead protector but ricocheted and nicked his skin. The blood flows over his eyelid and he wipes it away as he turns in my direction, eyes once again filling with rage. They widen as he sees me and his expression goes sour. Hoping that no one else but him could see, I raise my hand a tiny bit in a gesture of greeting. I smile and mouth the words "not bad, dummy." He was about to shout an insult but notices that the others were now destroying "his" skeletons faster than they could regenerate. He grimaces and looks to the sky and slowly, the grimace turns back into a smirk.

Confused, I look up at the sky and I feel my heart race. A huge skull of a dragon parts the clouds in the sky. Its body was practically the size of a country and its wings could span a whole mountain range. It was the largest dracoliche that I had ever seen.

"What is that?" Sir Vivor looks to the sky. The others had noticed too and were starting to back out of the fight.

There weren't that many of us and even if there were hundreds of thousands of us, I wasn't sure if we could take it down.

Drakath sneers at me and makes a slicing motion across his neck and says "You're dead, peasant witch!" A cloud of darkness suddenly envelops the skeletons and I lost sight of destiny boy. The cloud shoots up to the dracoliche and with a bone shaking roar, it turns and flies away towards the East. Before it disappears, I catch sight of a dark castle nestled on its back. The sight made something in me twinge.

It was just us now; the heroes who came to save the temple and failed and the priests who may or may not be corpses.

"Is everyone safe?" Lady Celestia slides off of Sir Rolith's horse and rushes to the priests. Others do the same, myself included.

"My Lady," The priest who had tried to protect the box reaches a hand out to her. She kneels next to him and begins chanting healing spells. Others rush to help the injured priests. "Forgive us; we couldn't protect it."

"Was that what I thought it was?" I say, walking up to them.

"Are you perhaps-"The priest starts but starts coughing violently.

"Save your energy," Lady Celestia eases him. "Yes, Ty. That was the White Dragon Box. I'm sorry I didn't tell you but I thought that…"

"It's alright," I sink to my knees beside Lady Celestia. "We'll find a way to get it back."

She looks back to me gratefully but I could tell from looking at her eyes that she already sees the stolen box as a lost cause.

These eggs…just how important are they?

…

"It was Drakath who did this, wasn't it?" Sir Vivor says. "Monster; he's even working for Sepulcher. He'll pay for this." He tightens one of his hands into a fist.

"Drakath may be the one who lead the attack but the real person behind this was Sepulcher. Drakath's just a puppet; he has no real power," I shake my head at Drakath's foolishness. "Sepulcher's the one we should be worrying about but don't worry; we'll give Drakath what he deserves."

I was the one holding the reins now. We were on our way back and going at a slower pace since we were carrying the priests with us as well. Sir Vivor let me control the horse because of this. It was going okay so far; just move the reins left or right depending on where you want to go. The bare basics…basically. Sounds simple but I probably am going to crash us into a roof somehow. It was dark too; treacherously even. If I had normal eyes, it would've have been a big problem. It might be a problem for the others.

"Oh drat," Sir Vivor curses in PG, grabbing the reins and stopping the horse along with everyone else. "Look ahead," He points to the distant flickering lights in the darkness. "Minx Faeries. A whole flock of them." He states in annoyance. No one else was looking thrilled either. Rolith was preparing his weapon.

"Faeries?" I repeat.

"Of the most irritating kind. They attack travelers and just when you're about to defeat one, they do a full heal. All. The. Time. It can take hours to get past a group." Sir Vivor groans. "Captain's probably going to solo them while we sneak around."

"Wait, let me try something," I jump off the horse before he could stop me.

"Ty! Stop!" Sir Vivor whispers loudly to me.

"I got this," I assure him. At least I hope I do and I hope these Fae are similar to the ones that I'm used to.

Rolith was about to stop me too but Lady Celestia shakes her head and keeps him from ordering me to go back.

I walk casually and confidently to the group of Minx. As I approach, their giggles become louder. It was a sound that brought me nostalgia; it reminded me of a spring breeze gently brushing blossoming trees. The Minx soon notice me and three fly over out of the group. They seem ready to attack but stop right in front of my face and appraise me.

"Not human," She says, touching my forehead with a tiny hand. Her skin was light pinkish and she had green hair dark as an evergreen tree. Her butterfly wings glow softly in the dark and her sisters fly near to examine me as well. "Not human, not fairy and nothing from here."

"But you feel familiar. Your aura feels nice," Another one exclaims, holding a strand of my hair.

"What's this?" One another flies down to my belt. She pulls my cape away to find the pink ambrosia charm clipped on to one the pouches. "Oh my."

The rest of the Minx come to join us and they all crowd around the charm and then appraise the other fish charm. After a few minutes of touching and whispering, they fly back to eye level with me.

"How long?" One asks.

"Two years and then…you know," I answer, pressing a hand to the charms.

"And the other?"

"Almost three."

"Will you tell us about them?"

"I will, I promise. But will you please let us through?" I stand aside to show my friends. "Some of us are injured and we need to get back to town as soon as we can. That's all I ask in return." The Minx children stay silent for a while but soon they nod and fly off down the path, leaving one behind.

"We will guide you back but only if you share the stories."

"Okay." I smile and wave my hand at the others, signaling for them that it was okay to follow. I'm greeted by murmurs and whispers of wonder but Rolith nods and motions for everyone to follow me. Sir Vivor gives me the thumbs up and I smile.

"Now, where shall I start?" I ask the Minx as we begin walking the now lighted path back to Falconreach.

"What is your name?" The Minx girl asks, landing on my shoulder.

"Everyone calls me Ty but that isn't my real name." I begin.

… **...**

"See you soon," I pick my farewell carefully as we stand at the entrance to Falconreach.

"Soon," The faeries say in unison. One by one, they disappear in a pink shimmer until only one was left.

"Keep your head high." She says to me, taking the small flower out of her hair and places it behind my ear. She disappears as well and I stare out into the darkened path to Surewood for a while before turning back to Rolith, Lady Celestia and Sir Vivor. The rest were already back in Falconreach.

"Great job, Ty. I have no idea how you did it but you did!" Sir Vivor pats me on the back. "Are you some sort of Faerie whisperer?

"No. Nothing like that," I press my palm against the charms. "I guess you could call it an affinity?"

"I'm curious too," Rolith says. "What did you say to them?" I gulp and start to build a lie in my head but Lady Celestia steps in.

"Perhaps it should be left as a private matter. After all, dealing with the Fae can be dangerous," Lady Celestia briefly hovers a hand over the flower stuck in my hair.

"Ah sorry, Ty," Rolith smiles for the first time tonight. "It's okay if you don't want to talk about it. You must be tired too."

"It's nothing anyway. I just…" I trail off, noticing a guardian running towards us, holding a torch. "Eli? What's wrong?"

"Lady Celestia! Twilly needs you back at the portal!" Eli comes to a halt. "He says it's urgent."

Immediately, a look of alarm washes over Lady Celestia. She grabs my arm and starts running, tugging me along.

"We must go back to the egg!" She tells me and the urgency in her voice gets me to run faster. Rolith, Sir Vivor and Eli were right behind us.

Once we reached the portal, Lady Celestia stops and turns to the knights and the guardian.

"Please stay here. I mean no offense but we must go alone."

"Of course, my Lady," The three of them bow. "But what is going on?"

"…I will explain when the time comes," She states before stepping through the portal, pulling me after her.

We were outside the egg cavern now. The full moon was bright and all the stars were twinkling. But it felt off somehow. The cavern felt…it didn't feel safe. Both the Lady and I share a glance before rushing into the cavern. Up ahead, I saw Alison standing by the egg with Twilly. Twilly hears our footsteps and sprints with his tiny paws to meet us.

"This is bad bad bad!" He jumps up and down. "It's too early!" The words hit Lady Celestia and she looks like she was going to have a heart attack.

"What's too early?" I try asking but Lady Celestia rushes to the side of the egg, still held in the claws of the statue.

"What do you think?" Alison walks to me, arms crossed.

"The egg is…Where's Ash?"

"He's at home fast asleep. Don't worry, he's fine. You should be worrying about the baby though." She turns her gaze to Lady Celestia, pressing her hand against the statue whispering "no" over and over. "We might be having a miscarriage."

The ground starts shaking all of a sudden and I was close to falling on my back.

"This…Was this you're doing?" Lady Celestia directs the question to my sister, unmoving from her position. Twilly was tugging at her robes, trying to get her away.

"Not this time," My sister smiles, crossing her arms. There was a wild look in her eyes. She had changed her iris to grayish white and her pupils were now slitted.

"What is she talking about?" I demand. My stomach was doing gymnastics and I felt more pangs in my heart like someone was trying to burst out.

"Do you feel it?" She asks, completely ignoring my question. "The great change. The chains breaking."

The shaking was getting more intense and finally, Lady Celestia steps away with Twilly still hanging on to her clothes. Her hands were clasped together and her eyes were closed like she was sending a prayer.

The colors of the egg were changing rapidly and the colors lit the cavern. They were getting bright enough to blind me.

And then I heard a crack.

A long crack appears on the eggshell. Then another. And then another until finally a deep darkness billows out of the egg, sending pieces of the egg and statue in all directions. The shape of a massive and awesome dragon rises into the sky high enough to reach the moon. It lets out a terrible roar that pierces my mind. It roars for what feels like hours until it dissipates into the night.

Shakily, I fall back to the ground still in shock of what just happened and still staring up at the now clear sky. A moment of silence passes between us before the Lady speaks.

"Thank goodness," She sighs. "Look, Ty. It's your…It's the dragon."

There the dragon baby was, curled into a ball and snoozing oblivious to everything around it.

Lady Celestia slowly moves towards the baby and scoops it up in her arms. I rise to meet her.

"Ty, please come tomorrow. We have much to discuss." She takes one last look back at my sister, who had remained motionless the entire time, before walking out of the cave. I feel panicky all of a sudden and reach out towards the baby but I stop myself.

"Sis, I-" I begin, walking towards my sister.

"Come now," She turns to me. "Let's go home. We should check on Ash."

…

"I can't sleep," I mutter. I was trying to sleep in Ash's room to keep him company. He was snoring quietly on his bed, leaning upright against his pillows with a cast on his arm. I was lying next to him on his good arm side

I had replayed the memory of what happened in the cave a thousand times in my head and I still couldn't sleep. It wouldn't stop. It just kept playing and playing inside my head.

I look over to the window to see some sunlight barely shining through the window. It was morning now and I didn't get a wink of sleep.

"I'll go for a walk then," I resolve, sitting up and pulling the sheets back while being careful not to wake Ash. I slowly hop off the bed and then tuck Ash back in as best as I could do for someone with a broken arm. He stirs slightly, wrinkling his brow, but relaxes and mumbles something about "bells are ringing."

I left my gear in the corner of the sparse room next to the dresser I gave Ash. He didn't have much with him to begin with. Just some clothes and his armor. A sketch of his family and farm was framed on his dresser and soon it'll be filled with more. Other than that, it was just his bed and a desk and chair set.

I decide that I didn't really feel like wearing my armor this morning so I stuff them in my bag and just fasten on my belt, cape and put on my shoes. As I attach my small bag to the side of my belt, I feel one of the pouches vibrating. I unbutton the pouch and pull out the crystal ball.

It seems like I wasn't the only one who couldn't sleep.

I take my time walking out of the house and to our usual place in the woods. He didn't even notice me when I sit down right next to him. Judging from the looks of it, he's been here for a while.

"Drakath, I'm still alive. What happened?" I ask him, leaning back.

"Nothing I-"He grumbles before he realizes who's sitting next to him. He jumps to his feet and points at me. "What are you doing here? How did you know I was here?"

"What I always do here and I always know," I answer his questions respectively. "Now it's your turn. What happened yesterday? You seemed in high spirits. You even said that I was going to be dead."

"What makes you think that I'm not going to kill you now?" He grits is teeth, putting a hand on the hilt of his sword.

"I don't know, can you?" I gaze up at him languidly. He flinches a bit and stares back, eyes darting down to my belt. Then he lowers his hand to his side. "Well, sit." I pat the grass next to me. I didn't actually expect him to do it but okay.

He sits where he stands and turns away from me. Jeez, is he pouting?

"Let me guess," I begin. "You brought that white chest to your master or boss, Sepulcher I presume, in hopes that you'll get something out of it. Something that you planned to kill me with. But then, and I'm only assuming, he says that he wanted both. You didn't have both so he either was about to kill you or tell you to go get it and not come back until you did. Suddenly the egg begins to hatch and you're treated to a show of lights and bam, a baby's born. And here's another assumption judging by how lethargic you are." Drakath glares back at me for a second but goes back to passively aggressively telling me he doesn't want my company…I think. "Sepulcher's quiet for a moment and then he says that it's too late to get the other egg so he tells you to leave until he finds use for you. So now you're trapped with this guy until you get back in his good graces and he gives you what you want. Does that cover it?"

Drakath doesn't answer so I take his silence as a compliment to how good my deduction skills were. Though anyone could figure that out by connecting the dots.

"…You were late," He states stoically.

"Hmmmm? Did I make you mad? Should I apologize?" I ask him, staring at the back of his head.

"Stuff it." He says before another bout of silence.

"Can't even finish a fetch quest, huh?" I comment and his shoulders quiver in anger but he doesn't make a move. "What can you do? Change the diapers for the baby dragon?" He turns and both arms shoot out and grab the collar of my cape.

"Don't you mock me, peasant," He growls, bringing our faces closer together. "I'm leader of the Dark Wolf Bandits, terrorized and ravaged towns and you will soon know me as your King."

"I'm not sure about that last one but I guess you've done some of the first stuff that you said. Though I'm taking your word for it," I tilt my head until our foreheads touched. He jerks back and puts two meters between the both of us. "So maybe you can do that," I get back on my feet and straighten my cape. "Maybe you should go do that and cheer up. You aren't any fun if you aren't your usual self." I flash a smile at him. He stares at me like I'm crazy; I just told him to go maybe pillage a village or rob someone to cheer himself up. Welp, maybe I am crazy but hey, whoever's going to get mugged won't be my problem.

"See you tomorrow maybe and the day after too," I start walking back home. "And the day after and the day after…" I continue.

I don't stop walking until I'm back at my doorstep again.

"What the hell am I even doing?" I ask myself before stepping through the door.

A bush rustles outside and stills as the warm morning stretches on.

* * *

**A Happy Surprise (Maybe): Side of A**

"Good morning, Ash," I greet the boy sitting upright in his bed. He was reading one of my books about the Crusade with his good arm and Ty was in a deep slumber on at his side, an arm thrown across Ash's waist. "How's the arm?"

"Hurts a lot but I'm okay," He assures me quietly.

"How's Ty?" I walk up to their bedside and smooth out my sister's messy jet black hair.

"I didn't even notice her come in. She must have come in really late," He closes the book and places it down on his chest. "I guess we'll be having another sleepy day," He smiles almost childishly. I was tempted to steal it.

"Say, would you like to go on a trip with me? I arranged for a carriage to come this morning. It should be waiting out on the path nearby right now."

"A trip? To where?"

"I want to go borrow books from Warlic. I was hoping to take the scenic route. Your legs aren't broken and your arm doesn't hurt as much, thanks to me of course, so why not come with me?"

"But what about Ty?" He looks back down at her, concerned. "She'll be wondering where we went."

"We'll be back before she wakes," I say, heading for the door. "I'll be lonely if you don't come."

"Okay…," he carefully takes Ty's arm and places it at her side before getting out of bed. He pulls the covers over her shoulders before he leaves with me.

…

"What are the books in the box for?" Ash asks from the seat across from me. The box at my feet was bouncing with the movement of the carriage. Every time we hit a bump, Ash winced and my head hit the roof. And this was the best carriage in town.

"These? They're for Warlic. I'm sure he'd like to get a look at these ones," I explain, redoing one of my short orange braids. "Drat," I catch sight of one of my photo albums in the box. I pull the album out and flip through the pages trying to figure out how I misplaced it. Stopping at one of the more recent pictures, I take it out of the album and hand it to Ash.

"What's this?" He asks.

"This is a…small painting of Ty, Beathan and I from ten years ago. Is she cute? Am I cute?" I ask him, pointing to myself."

"She's very cute," He blushes. "I mean no, or yes, not that way, I mean yes...I…You bot are cute," He flushes brighter. "You also looked very different." He notes.

That was the taken when I hand long think and wavy pink hair, matching eyes and was twice the height I was now. I stole the eyes from a boy in a faraway dead kingdom and the locks from a lady who lived in the woods.

"I always look different," I shift my form seamlessly into the one that I had in the picture, though I decided to stay the same size I was currently in.

He jumps a bit in surprise but regains his calm quickly. Stuff like this doesn't surprise him anymore but he was only scratching the surface.

"But who's the other person? Beathan?"

"Oh Beathan? You probably should ask Ty about him. He was her first."

"He was her what?" He sputters.

"He was her-" I began to repeat myself but the carriage jolts and halts, almost throwing me forward. "Carriage driver, what's going on?" I was about to open the window when I notice that a group of bandits had surrounded us. Judging from their appearance, they were the Dark Wolf Bandits that Ty ran into on the way to Falconreach. They didn't look like much. In fact…

"Alison, stay inside. I-I'll handle this," He gulps, fumbling as he tries to take his sword out of his belt.

We both watch as they drag the carriage drive off of his seat and push him to the ground. The carriage driver falls in a heap and curls up into a ball out of fear. What was he, a hedgehog?

Their leader, who I could only distinguish because he didn't wear the ridiculous bandanas like the others were, kicks him and unsheathes his sword. He motions for one of his men to open the carriage and drag the goods out. I save them the trouble and start climbing out myself.

"Stay here."

"No! Alison, stop!" He pleads me, still trying to get his sword out but I already closed the door on him.

"Well who do we have here," Their leader approaches me and sticks the tip of his sword against my throat. "How about you save yourself the trouble and just give whatever you have to me." I silently stare back at him for a while, realizing that he seemed familiar…or he was wearing something familiar.

"Are those pants yours?" I ask, pointing to his legs. "Do you have another pair by any chance?"

He looks like me like I'm crazy and was about to say something unnecessary so I shout something that many of them probably recognized.

"Hey," I reach behind me, pretending that I was taking something out. "Think fast, asshole."

"Not again!" One of his men scream and they all run away in all directions.

"You are all useless!" He calls to his men. "Get back here! It's a trick." It was no use, he was alone now.

"So do you have another pair that you may or may not have misplaced?"

"Just shut up!" He swings his blade at me and it collides against my arm, creating the sound of metal on stone. He recoils and stares at me in shock.

"Say, what's your name?" I ask, raising a hand. The fingers elongate and fuse together into the shape of a blade of a sword. "I didn't quite catch it."

The boy takes a few steps back; his sword was shaking in his hands. "Stay back." He warns, fear showing in his voice.

"You sure have nice green eyes. I'm sure my sister would love them," I walk towards him. "Maybe I should pluck them out and give them to her."

"I said stay back!" He swings his sword and I block it with my arm. Not being able to stand it anymore, he runs back into the woods with his purple cape waving behind him.

"Farewell, number eight," I change my arm back to the shape of a hand. "I wish you the best of luck and when she gets bored, I really might just find you and pluck your eyes out as a momento," I muse, looking down at my hand. "But that…kinda hurt actually. Hey, mister?" I look over to the still in fetal position man on the ground. "You can get up now."

"Don't worry, Alison!" Ash opens the door with his good hand, having finally gotten his sword out. "I'll save you!" He says as he tries to step out of the carriage only to slip and fall with and audible crack.

"MY LEG!"

"Hey, Ash…Be careful. You don't wanna break your leg or something if you fall," I warn him stoically. I wasn't even sure if I was being sarcastic anymore.


	19. Peace of Mind

"How did this happen?" I help Alison carry Ash through the door. The noise they made trying to get back in had woken me up and I rushed out to find that Ash had broken his leg the day after he had broken his arm. Two sticks were wrapped tightly around his leg, one on each side to support him.

"Clumsy here tried getting out of a carriage," Alison says through a laugh and I gape at the both of them in disbelief.

"Are you serious? And why did you change your form again?" I demand. Catching what I just said, her hair straightens and brightens back to orange and her eyes pale to a striking white. Her face morphs and sharpens back into her current preferred appearance. She mouths "felt like it" and doesn't say another word on the matter.

"But I was in a hurry!" Ash protests as we help him hop through the door, one arm slung over my shoulder. Alison was supporting him by holding him around the hips. I don't think it's helping that much but she seems to enjoy it so…

"We got attacked by these bandits and Alison went out before I could stop her!" He explains and my breath hitches. "My sword got stuck and I guess I lost balance when I tried getting out." He winces as we walk down the hall.

"That was really brave but how did you expect to get out of a high carriage okay with one arm broken and the other occupied let alone…take on a band of bandits…uh…Which bandits were they?" I ask nervously.

"Their leader had familiar looking pants," Alison comments. "Pretty eyes too. Didn't catch his name though. Do you happen to know?" Alison smirks, winking subtly.

"Doesn't sound familiar to me," I lie, knowing full well that Alison saw right through it. And here I thought that it wasn't my problem. "Come on, Ash. "We're almost to your room."

Both Alison and I get Ash to his room and lay him down on his bed, being careful not to hurt his arm or leg.

"Can you treat him here?" I ask Alison.

"No problem," She says, summoning a box of medical supplies and a bag of ice from the hall. "Now like I've said before, the leg won't heal properly if I just use magic so you might not be able to walk for some time." Ash nods, groaning at his luck as Alison carefully raises his leg and gently places a cushion below it. "And you. Don't you have something to do?" Alison turns to me, crossing her arms and raising a brow.

"Yeah, I was about to go see Lady Celestia but I can't leave you guys alone." I glance over to Ash who gives me a reassuring look.

"Don't worry, I'll behave but it's not like I can actually get into any trouble like this," Ash says. Though it isn't Ash I'm worried about. "I don't want you to be late so go ahead."

"…Rest up, okay?" I smile at him before leaving for the door. "Alison, I didn't ask last time but-" I try whispering to her.

"You don't. I wouldn't." Alison grins smugly, white eyes gleaming. "I am your sister after all."

"…Thanks." I say quietly before walking out the door.

…

" _Long time no see,"_  Sir Casm drawls as he and Sir Vivor approach me by the portal near the guardian tower.

"Hey," I wave at them. "Are you…being sarcastic again?"

" _What do you think,"_  He answers, patting my back. Yes? No? That's really vague. " _You seem tired."_

"We all had a pretty late night," Sir Vivor nods thoughtfully. "But are you going to see Lady Celestia? What exactly happened last night? You both just ran off. Rolith hasn't gotten any word from the Lady yet either."

Judging from what happened last night with the egg hatching, I don't think Lady Celestia wants anyone finding out. We lost the white box and what happened during the hatching basically screamed "I am the spawn of all evil."

"Twilly was having problems with something important I guess," I word my answer carefully. "A bunch of things happened that I didn't quite understand so it'd be better if you talked to the Lady." It wasn't a lie. "But what have you guys been doing? Is Rolith still with you?"

"Rolith's been talking to Eli for a while now," Sir Vivor says, rolling his shoulders back. "Both of them have been fussing about what happened at the temple and we've been helping out with the injured priests."

"Are they all getting better?"

" _They sure are,"_  Sir Casm says, dryly. " _I meant that."_ He continues in the same tone.

"…Okay then. But we probably won't be hanging around for long. Even though we left a team back at Oaklore, Captain's still uneasy about being away from the Keep." Sir Vivor says. "We'll probably be leaving around the afternoon so come by and talk to us later. I still need to convince everyone that I taught you how to kick butt."

" _Yup. It was all you."_

"Sir Casm did stuff too."

"Sounds good," I agree. "I'll be seeing you la-"

"Ty, there you are!" Twilly pokes his head out of the portal. "Twillies was about to go look for you."

"I'll be right there, Twilly. Tell Rolith not to worry for me, will you?"

"No problem." Both Sir Vivor and Sir Casm nod.

I step through the portal and into Sunbreeze Cove. Twilly darts across the grass towards Lady Celestia by the fountain and I follow after him. She was sitting on the edge of the fountain and holding white lacey parasol over a basket. When Twilly pulls at her skirt, she looks up and smiles pleasantly.

She raises a finger to her lips. "The dragon is sleeping," She whispers as I come nearer; her smile seems strained and tired. What happened?

There was a thin white blanket covering the small baby dragon. The dragon was in a deep sleep; chest rising and falling somewhat unsteadily. The dragon baby was cute with its round head and body, shifting every now and then. But there was something strange about the dragon. The dragon's scales were dark green at first but then paled into teal. It deepens into dark blue, then yellow, white, lavender and so on.

"Sit here," Lady Celestia pats the seat beside her and I oblige. I rearrange my cape as I sit down to keep it from dipping into the fountain and Twilly hops up beside the basket and starts cooing at the baby dragon.

We sit in silence; listening to the fountain water run and Twilly doting over the dragon. I gaze over to the beach by the portal, thinking about how Sunbreeze Cove reminded me of my first home. Lady Celestia follows my gaze, pensive as well before she finally speaks.

"The hatching was premature," She rests the parasol on her shoulder and rests a hand on the baby's back.

"By how much?" I ask.

"The egg wasn't supposed to hatch until June."

"June! But that means it ten month's early!" I cry out in surprise. "Is the dragon healthy?"

"I'm…not sure. This wasn't supposed to happen…" She trails off, staring down into her lap while making the occasional worried glance at me.

Back at the cavern, she had asked Alison if it was her doing. Does she think it has something to do with us coming to Lore?

"Last night, the baby hadn't stirred. Even when I tried to wake the baby, nothing happens. Sometimes the breathing stopped and the dragon would get a high fever before becoming deathly cold. I've been monitoring the baby but…" She trails off again and I swallow hard. Her clutch on the parasol was tightening and I had no words or reassurance or relief. "I don't know what to do." Her voice was shaking. "I worry for the fate of Lore."

"MMMMMMFFFFF!" Both the Lady and I jump in surprise at the noise and we turn to find Twilly right beside me…with his head in the dragon's mouth.

Both of us were shocked into silence as we glance back at the empty basket and back to the black glassy eyes of the baby dragon about to decapitate Twilly.

"…Hey there," I manage to cough out. "Would you mind dropping Twilly please?" I smile as sweetly as I could to the dragon.

The dragon regards me and Lady Celestia with a look that could be described as bored and un-amused. The colors of the dragon's scales shift to black and the dragon squishes Twilly's head harder, making him squeak.

"Hey, that's not nice," I slide myself over to them slowly. "Come on, just let Twilly go…please?"

The dragon snorts at my words and continues staring back at me. The stare was starting to get irritating.

"Come on now. No need to be stubborn," I say through a forced smile. "Put him down…Won't you?" I add the last part in to make it sound more like a suggestion than an order.

Dejectedly, the dragon bows his head, relaxes his grip on Twilly and flings him into the fountain. Twilly lands hard and makes a splash tall enough to hit Lady Celestia's back. She jumps up with a start from the cold water and stumbles a few steps away from the fountain.

"You're really pushing it now," I warn the dragon, almost ready to throttle him. "You better-"A blast of water smashes against my face and I get knocked right into the fountain with Twilly. I sit up quickly, wiping the water from my eyes to see that damn dragon staring back at me almost contently. Taking a deep breath and pulling my wet hair away from my face, I raise a finger at the dragon and get ready to give the dragon a scolding when he shoots another blast of water in my face, making me choke.

Now I'm going to throttle that brat.

"That's it," I jump at him, hands outstretched to pull him in. He unfolds his silvery wings and flies up into the air, making me miss and hit the edge of the fountain. Scowling, I splash the little monster, soaking him completely.

He remains in the air, rhythmically flapping his wings as I start to laugh. Suddenly, the dragon lets out a hellish shriek and dive bombs my stomach. It knocks the breath out of my lungs but I manage to hug him and we both start rolling around in the fountain. Water sprays everywhere and Twilly yells something about trying not to hurt the baby. What about me? This guy's ferocious.

Both of us were too caught up to care and we both tried to subdue each other. I was so caught up that I think I accidentally called him a little fucker. Whatever he was saying in dragonese, or whatever they called it in Lore, probably meant the same thing. I was throwing punches and he was going for my throat, I swear.

A sound catches us both off guard and we stop trying to tear each other apart. I was pinned down on the floor of the fountain, the water barely coming up to my ears, hands grabbing on to the dragon's wings and the dragon had its jaws open, ready to fire another hard blast of water. Both of us had stopped because of the laughter; Lady Celestia's laughter. Even Twilly was slack jawed.

She was holding her mouth to try to muffle the sound but it was no use. She was laughing so hard that she had to bend over. This was certainly a big change in mood.

"I was worried over nothing," She says through another small laugh, straightening herself. "Oh, don't mind me. Keep going." She waves us back to play fighting.

"Everything's fine now?" I ask, sitting back up straight. The dragon shakes my hands off of his wings and hops back on the edge of the fountain.

"Better than fine," She assures us, sitting back on the edge of the fountain despite it being completely wet.

"Eek! Twillies better get a towel!" Twilly hops off of the fountain and runs for Lady Celestia's house.

"The dragon's pretty energetic for being a day old," I sit down in between Lady Celestia and the dragon baby, splashing the water around with my feet a little. The dragon swishes his tail around and glares at me. "And he's cranky too. Maybe he's hungry?" I suggest just as the dragon bites down on my arm.

In that instant, we fell back into the fountain and start to fight again. This time the dragon jumps back from me and barfs out another burst of water at me. I duck and the blast of water flies over my head. I was about to splash the dragon back but water sprays the side of my face before I could. I look over to the source and find Lady Celestia with a playful smile on her lips and she splashes me again.

"Traitor!" I jokingly accuse her and slap more water at her. The dragon snorts and starts spraying water at the both of us.

We played around for a long while in the fountain water. At first, I was worried that the fountain was going to run out of water from our splashing about but the joyful worriless expression that the Lady had told me that it didn't matter. She splashes just as hard as I do and laughs when the dragon sprays her with a jet of water. The Lady has quite the playful side. I quite like it.

The dragon baby seems to be enjoying himself as well. He bites me every now and then and I fling him away in retaliation but he takes it in stride. Whatever the Lady was worried about had appeared to amount to nothing.

By the time Twilly came out, tottering back and forth from the weight of the tower of towels he was holding, we were all tuckered out and everything was wet. The Lady and I were soaking wet. It was a good thing I wasn't wearing my armor or it would be a lot more uncomfortable. My clothes were clinging to my skin and the Lady's dress must be heavy from being wet. Not to mention that it was going to be hard to properly dry. I don't think dry cleaning's been invented yet but then again, this place is saturated in magic. The dragon, on the other hand, just shook himself dry and the water flew off of him. It was like he was a duck.

Noticing Twilly struggling with his load, the Lady and I step out of the fountain and help him out. Twilly gasps at the sight of the Lady as we drape the towels over ourselves.

"Oh noes! Hurry and get dry! You don't want a cold!" Twilly cries.

"It's quite alright, Twilly," the Lady assures him, daintily wringing out the water in her hair. I had no idea you could do that daintily. "The weather is still warm; we'll both be dry in no time. Besides, the water was absolutely refreshing. I suppose that I needed that." She turns to me and places a hand on my shoulder. "How about we talk about the dragon's care over tea inside? I have a blend of tea that you might like. It has a calming blueberry infusion." She suggests, using the corner of the towel draped over my shoulders to dry my cheek.

"That sounds great. And I think the baby needs a nap too," We all look back at the fountain where the dragon was snoozing by it on the glistening grass, blowing magical water bubbles into the air with each breath.

Lady Celestia and Twilly head back into the house first and I had the job of getting the temperamental baby. Standing over him, I try to figure out how I was going to pick him up without waking him and potentially getting incinerated. My first attempt was trying to scoop him up in my arms. That was also my only attempt. I take a step forward and bend down, arms outstretched to pick the guy up before the wet grass makes me slip. Thinking fast, I swing my foot forward and land it on the edge of the fountain which was also wet. That also makes me slip up and I end up doing the splits right over the dragon, trying to keep my balance which I didn't have. I lean too far to the right and now I was hanging upside down face to face with the dragon with my legs still in place and hands on the ground to keep me up. And then the dragon wakes up, snorts and breathes out a strong gust of wind. I roll back in a heap, completely stunned at what just happened and watch as the dragon flies back to the Lady's house himself.

"…No one saw that," I pick myself up and walk into the Lady's home.

I step on the welcome mat and peer into the Lady's home. It was much more humble than I expected, though it did look bigger inside than it did out. The walls were painted creamish and vases and plants were sparsely spread around the home. A few bookshelves lined the walls and a lone standing mirror stood by one of them. A small dining table and three chairs were sitting by a window. The baby was sleeping one of the chairs, bathing in the rays shining through the window.

A door at the back of the room opens and Lady Celestia steps out with a plate of small sandwiches. Twilly follows her out, holding a bowl of dragon chow.

"Would you mind grabbing the tea tray, Ty?" Lady Celestia nods to the open door.

"Oh, sure," I run past them and into the kitchen. The kitchen was quaint like the rest of the house. An old fashion stove was lit and a kettle of water was being boiled over top. I found the tray of white and gold trimmed detailed teacups and a teapot sat by on a nearby countertop by the small pantry shelf. The tea set looked oddly familiar. I pick the kettle off of the stove and poor the hot water into the teapot, watching as the leaves and dried berries rise to the top of the pot and the water turns a light shade of blue. Setting the kettle back down on the counter, I lift the tray and head to the door and move past the humming refrigerator.

Wait a sec…

I backtrack, giving the fridge a long stare. How is this here in this time and age? There isn't an extension cord so maybe it's powered by magic? It even had colorful letter magnets. Some were arranged to spell Twilly's name at the bottom and Lady Celestia's at the top. I was tempted to open it but then Twilly peeks his tiny head through the doorway and asks "Does Ty need help?"

"No, I'm okay." I answer, grinning at the red moglin. "I'm just wondering…where did you get this refrigerator?"

"The refwigerwata?" Twilly repeats. "We got it as a gift fwom your daddy." Twilly says. "That's where we keep all the ice tea now."

"…Okay then." I shrug, leaving the kitchen and its out of place fridge. Moving towards the table by the window, I set the tray down. Lady Celestia, who was already sitting at the table with the dragon now sleeping on her lap, pours three cups of tea as I take a seat across from her.

"Have you thought up a name yet?" She asks me as she takes a dainty sip. Her silver hair and dress were still a little wet from before but she didn't seem to mind at all.

"For who?" I reach for one of the small sandwiches.

"For the dragon."

"You want me to name him? I haven't thought about it," I lean back in my chair. "Wouldn't it be better for you to name him?"

"Ah…well, the dragon will be under your care for some time. It would be more fitting for you to name him. If you haven't decided, the dragon could be named "Draco" for the time being." Lady Celestia stirs her tea somewhat shakily. Is the naming really bothering her that much?

"Draco means Dragon," Twilly says.

But if we're really talking about naming this baby, I wouldn't be the best person to ask. I'm terrible at coming up with names. The name this dragon might have would impact him forever and it'll be the first thing people will judge him for. I'm not the type of person that thinks that names have some sort of magical power but it does have an effect.

It can't be something as plain or maybe it should to give the dragon some wiggle room. I can't name it something like "honor" or "faith." Those are really sucky names that are hard to live up to. I don't want to give this guy a symbolic name either. But just naming him "Dragon" would look dumb. It's like naming your kid "human" or "flight inspector." If I was a mom, what would I name my kid? I'd want them to either have a name that has some sort of generic "strength" or "richness" blessing that they can work with but kids aren't luck charms. I'd want them to sort of have freedom with their names so that they can shape themselves as they grow. Ty wasn't my name starting out. It doesn't even have a meaning to begin with.

_Y'know, if you ever have a son. You should name him Tyler. Or if it's a girl, you can do a variation on the father's name._

Nova once suggested that to me. Why were we talking about kid names that day?

_I always wanted grandkids._

… _.Father, could you imagine the kind of spawn that any of us would shoot out of our-_

_CeNSorEd! *Jazz Hands*_

Okay, now I remember. That was a scary conversation.

But back on topic, I can't name the dragon after me. That sounds like something a megalomaniac would do and I think the dragon dislikes me enough as it is. The dragon, even if it's a jerk, should have a good name that gives him some freedom…

"How about Libérta?" I suggest, taking a bite out of my sandwich. Smoked salmon. Pretty tasty.

"That's a lovely name," Lady Celestia nods. "The word for "freedom" I presume?"

"Yes," I look at the dragon for reaction. This way, the dragon can do whatever he wants and if he decides to become a slave trader, he could use the name ironically.

"Fitting," Lady Celestia comments. "I believe that's something that the dragon should have…" She says under her breathe. I don't think that she know that I can hear her. The dragon in her lap raises his head briefly, blinking twice, before laying back down.

"Now, how about we discuss the dragon's care?" She continues.

"Ty, how come you're covered in grass?" Twilly asks.

…

"So what are you going to tell Rolith?" I ask her as we head towards the portal to Falconreach.

After finishing tea and talking further about the dragon's care, we cleaned up and decided to go find the Captain to "clear" things up with him. We left the dragon back at in Lady Celestia's home with Twilly as she said that it would be a few months before he could leave the cove.

"I will tell him that there was a misunderstanding that happened last night and that it has been cleared up," The Lady says, putting her hood back on. "But before we leave, I would like to give you something." She says, taking out a small white box. My name was handwritten on the lid. She opens the box to reveal a silver and golden choker.

The craftsmanship was amazing; small designs of leaves melded with the shape of waves. To my amazement, the designs were moving and altering themselves into different shapes and images of the elements. The movements were tiny and slow enough to not be noticeable at first glance but once you did catch sight of them, it was hard to pull your gaze away. But the centerpiece of the choker really caught my eye. It was a gleaming red gem encircled by the golden wings of a dragon.

"Is this a dragon amulet?"

"Yes. Your father put this amulet together. I was hoping to make this a more special gifting but…" She trails off. "I suppose that this is a good time just as any other," She takes the choker and encircles it around my neck, fastening it into place. "The amulet will let you talk to Libérta and if worse comes to worst, you will be able to grow him to his full adult form to fight."

This was the real deal alright. It was nothing like Frosty's fake.

"Thank you very much," I bow to Lady Celestia. This is a pretty special item to give to a baby sitter.

"There's no need for that, dear," She smiles as I stand straight again. "Come now, let's go meet with the captain."

Both of us step through the portal and we arrive by the Guardian Tower. The guardians were training outside of the tower again. Swords clang against each other in mock duels between the guardians as we watch on. Eli notices us and steps out from the crowd. He's followed by the squishy mage in the green robes. The mage used to be smiling.

"Milady," Eli bows to Lady Celestia and so does the mage. "Ty," He nods to me and the mage bows again reluctantly.

"It is good to see you, Eli. I would like to speak to both you and Captain Rolith." Lady Celestia bows her head slightly and I copy her.

"Captain Rolith had left a while ago to attend to some business. He didn't say what it was," Eli explains. "He will be back momentarily."

"Or we can save you some time and show you where he went," Sir Vivor and Sir Casm walk up to us from the path to town. "He's down at the potion-master's shop attending to his business."

" _It's very important business,"_  Sir Casm drawls, nodding to himself and Sir Vivor snickers a little.

"Eli, why don't you come with us?" Lady Celestia says. "It won't take long."

"Of course. Tanisha!" He yells over to the guardian sparring with a trainee. "Supervise for me while I'm gone. I won't be gone long."

"Yes, sir!" She salutes him before flipping the trainee into the side of the tower. I clap for her along with some of the others.

"Stay here with them, Reid," He tells the mage. A ghost of a scowl appears on his mouth but he presses it back into a straight line, bows again and returns to where he was standing before. "Lead the way." He says to the two knights.

"He didn't go far." Sir Vivor says, walking back towards Falconreach as the rest of us follow. "He's probably still at the potion shop."

"What's he doing there?" I ask Sir Casm who was walking alongside me.

" _Definitely not checking up on a friend."_

"Look, there he is now," Sir Vivor says as we near Reen's place.

The captain was in the middle of being thrown out.

"Are you sure she's not coming here soon?" The Captain asks as he's pushed out the door.

"For the last time, yes. She's still busy with her work and no, I haven't gotten any mail from her that mentions you," Reens says, exasperated. "Well except that one time when she wrote that you were starting to look…I forgot. Well, you don't need to worry. It probably wasn't important."

"You can't leave it like that! What did she mean by I was starting to look-" The captain suddenly notices our presence and stands straight, clearing his throat.

"Lady Celestia, good afternoon," He salutes her, dropping the desperation from his voice.

"Excuse our intrusion. I just have a quick explanation to give and then you can go back to attending to your personal matters," She smiles, mouth quivering a bit from covering a chuckle.

"Ooh, who's Alina?" I grin at the captain who remained composed. Though he does blush a little.

"No one…Well not no one but…just a good friend." The captain stutters.

"Good enough to make you use your best puppy dog stare at Reens through her window for the past twenty minutes?" Sir Vivor asks, coming up next to him and elbowing the captain's ribs lightly.

"So that was what you were doing?" Eli smiles wryly.

"It worked, unfortunately," Reens sighs before going back inside. "I'll leave you to your business."

"Anyway, what would you like to tell us Lady Celestia," Sir Rolith changes the topic and pushing Sir Vivor away, still flustered.

"May I take both you and Eli aside?" She requests, turning her head to me, eyes darting to the other two knights.

"So Sir Vivor, Sir Casm, how have things been going?" I wrap an arm around both of their shoulders and leading them away. I had to stand on my toes to do that. Both notice and lift me from the ground as we head towards the inn, swinging me back and forth lightly.

"Still sore about you not bothering to say goodbye!" Sir Vivor says though he sounds merry.

" _Very sore."_  Sir Casm says in the same tone he almost always used.

"Do you mean that, man?" Sir Vivor asks him as they set me down by the door.

"Well…I'm sort of bad at goodbyes and I was leaving for something urgent." I explain.

"Really now?" Sir Vivor says.

" _Definitely not to run off to the war and get famous."_

"Who said I was doing that?" I protest, crossing my arms and leaning on the wall of the inn.

"I don't know. It certainly seemed that way. What with you killing a hydra, protecting a town in a one on one battle risking your life, becoming an elite knight because of it, beating up the bosses of three wars almost right after and-"

"Whoa whoa there. How did you find out about that?" I stop him, feeling self-conscious. "I didn't even fight that last spider guy."

" _It's not like doing that would get any attention. Hardly a blip on the map about you. No one's talking about you at all. We definitely don't hear your name every day from the rumors."_

Oh god, what have I done.

"And we heard the rumors about the Arachnattack. You were there apparently bantering with their leader like a boss before giving the signal for everyone else to rip him apart. You even carried out a pretty girl too." Sir Vivor  _says,_ raising a finger. "I can't brag about you. All the other knights laugh when I tell them I taught you sword fighting."

"How come I didn't hear the rumors? No one's even come up to talk to me about them unless it's business related."

" _Beats me. After all, you'd welcome the attention wouldn't you?"_

"Yeah, everyone says you're really shy and skittish when they try to talk to you." Sir Vivor agrees.

"I am not-"

"Hey, aren't you Ty?" A warrior says as they step out of the inn with a group of other adventurers. "I was wondering when we were going to meet you. We're sorta new here and we heard that you-"

I suddenly felt compelled to pull my hood over my head and book it but Sir Casm grabs my arm and I almost trip.

"…Is everything okay?" The warrior asks hesitantly.

" _Of course it is. Can't you see?"_

"Why don't we talk another time. It seems like she doesn't want to talk." One of his mage friends comments carefully. Sir Casm's still had a solid grip on my arm so I was sorta running in place and creating a hole on the ground.

"You see?" Sir Vivor says. "Do you even notice what you're doing?"

"See what?" I bounce back to my usual self, completely ignoring what just happened. What? Was there something weird with what I was doing?

"…Never mind. Anyways, would you mind telling us your side of the story?" Sir Vivor continues. "The rumors are starting to get out of hand. I heard that you got pregnant."

Immediately, I begin telling them what I've been doing since I left the keep, referring to my quest for the dragon egg as retrieving something secret for the Lady. We talk comfortably like longtime friends as more adventurers pass by. We exchange stories and they both keep me from running up the wall of the inn when someone new greets us. Maybe I should dye my cape or something. Keep with the white theme? Or maybe that's still too noticeable. When I ask them that, they protested it vehemently.

"Are you crazy? That's like a symbol of your rank! Didn't the King give that to you!" Sir Vivor says.

"Yeah but it doesn't seem that important. I don't even know what I'm supposed to do as an Elite Knight."

"I think you've been doing your job. You've been defending Falconreach and wearing that means that you represent the King's as well."

"Really?" Uh oh. Better not let Alison know. "Well honestly-"

"Bad news! Bad news!" A red furball runs past our feet, grabbing the attentions of everyone around us.

"Twilly, what's the matter," The Lady lets him run into her arms and she picks him up.

"Did I hear bad news?" Some adventurer said from the gathering crowds. "Bad news right? Yes! I wanna see some action in this town."

"Shut up, dude." Someone chastises the newbie in town. There were a lot of them around lately; all wanting to be part of the Falconreach "war" experience.

"He's gone!" Twilly tells the Lady as Eli and Sir Rolith come up behind her.

"Do you mean Liberta?" I rush up to Twilly and the Lady.

"Oh dear. He couldn't have gotten far," Lady Celestia turns to Sir Rolith, about to ask for help.

"By "he" do you mean the dragon eating Ty's head?" Sir Vivor points at me?

"Wha?" I look up and I realize that Libérta's has his upper and lower jaw framing my face. The rest of his body was hanging to the side. And then came the sharp pain. "Libérta! Bad dragon!" I quickly tug him off of my head and try to throw him but he stops midair, flapping his now black wings angrily. "What are you doing here!" He hisses at me in reply and fires a glob of water in my face. Shaking in anger, I calm myself down, spray out a steady stream of water that the brat shot in my mouth and began to calmly ask him to get over here before he sprays me again. "I'm going to kill you." I try lunging at him but both knights stop me.

"By any chance is that the special item that spat on your face earlier?" Sir Vivor asks, trying to hold me back.

" _Ya don't say."_  Sir Casm shakes his head…Okay, so maybe I was being a bit obvious about the dragon secret. Lore's starting to mess with my better judgment.

"Dragon war?" Another rogue asks enthusiastically, sliding up to Sir Rolith.

"No. Calm down," Sir Rolith stops him, pushing him away. "Is this the newborn dragon that you mentioned Milady?"

"So you really were pregnant!" Someone says from the gathered crowd and I think about pounding her face in after I kill Libérta.

"Yes. It seems that he didn't want to be left behind," She smiles at Libérta warmly. "Isn't it about time for a nap?" Unfazed, the dragon also sprays her in the face. She remains in spot unmoving with her smile unwavering, dripping wet once again. Both Sir Rolith and Eli rush to her side and Twilly wipes the shakes the excess water out of his fur.

"I'm really going to kill you now." I try breaking out of the two knight's grip.

"Don't worry, Ty," Lady Celestia coughs. "He must be angry that we left him behind. Aren't you?" she offers Libérta a hand.

I was afraid that Libérta might try to spray her again but he just hovers in midair in front of her. Then he makes a satisfied sound at the back of his throat before he darts into her arms, kicking Twilly out. Twilly bounces on the ground with a squeak.

"Alright, alright, disperse. As you can see there's nothing out of the ordinary here," Eli announces to the crowd. "Go back to your own business." At that, the dragon shifts his scales to a bright yellow color and the crowd "oohs" and "ah's." "I said get back to your own business. There isn't anything to see here." He points eastward, trying to direct the growing crowd away.

*BANG*

A large white object slams in the ground directly next to Eli. People nearby jump back in surprise but Eli stands his ground, still pointing in the same direction. With a sigh, he turns to the object and examines it up and down. It's a refrigerator.

"Are we under attack?" Sir Rolith pulls out his hammer, regarding the fridge with caution.

"Refrigerator war?" The rogue steps forward again, unsheathing his dagger enthusiastically, eyes hopeful.

"Too early!" Someone throws a block of cheese at his head. It bounces off of his face and drops on the ground. Dejectedly, the rogue picks up the cheese and starts eating.

"Guess who it's for," Eli tugs a note stuck to the fridge and offers it to me.

"Who? Me?" I ask, relaxing as Sir Vivor and Sir Casm release me. Taking the note from Eli, I find that the note is from Justine, my older sister.

"Could you at least ask your family to drop you things at your house? I don't need a toilet dropping out of the sky and killing someone." He says, opening the fridge and pulling a bottle out. He uncaps it and takes a swig.

"Are we not surprised that a fridge just fell out of the sky?" Sir Rolith asks, lowering his weapon.

"Not really." Eli says in between sips as the crowd dissipates, bored with the turn of events.

"Who's it from?" Sir Vivor asks me, leaning over my shoulder to read the note.

"One of my sisters." I answer, reading through the note.

_I've been hearing interesting things about you, dear. The mortals call you "hero." My, isn't someone suddenly a social butterfly. Or perhaps a moth would suit you better. On my side, it's been quite dull and all I ever do is lounge around. Though I did find a nice café the other day. Knowing how much you love sweets, I bought a few and sent them to you in the fridge attached to this note. I do wish to hear from you soon. Till then, enjoy. -Justine_

"Sweet," I walk over to the fridge.

"Do you need help taking that home?" Sir Vivor asks, testing the weight of the fridge.

"If you are going to help her, make it quick," Rolith says, poking the fridge with his hammer tentatively. "Now that we've cleared all of the confusion, we should head back to the Keep. I don't want to leave Oaklore under-protected for long."

"It's no problem. I can stuff this in my bag and bring it home on my own so don't worry about it," I assure them, seeing how far my bag could open. "I should hurry. I need to check if Ash and Alison are still okay."

"How is Ash?" Lady Celestia asks, cradling the baby dragon. "How is his arm healing?"

"Just fine but he broke his leg this morning," I mention reflexively, realizing that there was no way the fridge was going to get into my bag without ripping it apart, hammer space or not.

"How did he break his leg?" Lady Celestia and the other ask, surprised.

"Oh, um…he broke it…trying to fight off a band of bandits that were attacking my sis!" I say quickly. It wasn't a lie. "They all ran off but he broke his leg trying to get to them!"

"…What did he fall off of this time?" Eli asks, tone flat.

"…A carriage. But there really were bandits attacking my sis and Ash this morning."

"The bandits have been pretty active today," Eli comments and I want to snicker. "I keep getting reports of them robbing travelers and such."

"Gives us all the more reason to hurry back unless there is something else that need be done," Sir Rolith says, turning to the Lady.

"No, I don't think there is. I will be taking Libérta back to the cove and I hope to see you tomorrow," She gives me a one armed hug. Surprise was showing on both Rolith and Eli's faces.

"Of course," I reply brightly, hugging her back.

"Sir Vivor, Sir Casm, gather the knights. We should be getting back within the hour," Sir Rolith instructs the two and they both bow. "It was good to see you," he says to me. "You're always welcome in Oaklore."

"Yes Sir" I nod gratefully. He returns the gesture before walking off.

"Alright then. See. You. Soon." Sir Vivor holds my shoulders and punctuates each word. "And that's how you say a proper farewell." He laughs, ruffling my hair. "That was Sir Vivor's lesson of the day. Make sure you remember it." He says.

" _Take care of yourself."_  Sir Casm says and I think he's being sincere.

"No probs. Now go on before Rolith yells at you," I smile and wave at them as they walk off.

"Let me escort both of you back to the portal." Eli offers the Lady and Twilly.

"Eli," She sighs. "The portal isn't even outside of Falconreach. You are being much too tense." She chastises and Twilly giggles from behind her skirts. "You should be more worried about Ty. Ty, will you be alright getting home."

"Sure I will. When have the bandits ever gotten the better of me," I joke around. "I'll visit tomorrow, I promise."

"Stay on your guard though," Eli warns me. "The bandits are much more aggressive than they used to be. Especially the ones lead by that evil prince. They've been staying clear of the areas around Falconreach lately but there isn't any harm in being too careful."

"I will. I will," I assure him. But I wonder what sort of gang some evil prince leads. I haven't seen any like them before. But what's a prince doing leading just a band of bandits?

"Take care, dear," Lady Celestia says as they're about to leave for the portal.

"I will, Mama." I couldn't stop the words coming out of my mouth. It was a reflex action and I slap my hands over my mouth. Both of them stop and look back at me, almost bewildered.

"…Be good." She beams back happily before walking off. There was almost a skip in her step.

"uhhh…You're doing great," Eli says awkwardly, looking between me and the Lady before running up to catch up to her. I watch them for a while before remembering that the fridge was still a problem.

"Great, how am I supposed to…" I trail off, finding my fridge being inspected by some messy haired crazy. Oh, it's that guy with the hologram of himself in front of his tower. "What are you doing?" I try approaching him.

"I'm doing what you do with fridges," He explains, poking around the freezer. "Making sure that the frozen fish get stuck in the ice maker. They feel more comfortable in their element."

"Ookay. Is that all? Cause if you're done, I need to get this home." I poke him. Realizing that he was solid, I jump back. "Oh god, it's the real thing."

"I'm real alright," He smiles, satisfied with his work. "I'm as real as this," he makes a gesture with his hand where he fakes pulling off his left thumb with his other hand even though I can clearly see his thumb tucked behind his other fingers. "We've met before. Or we were supposed to meet before but then you fell asleep."

"We were?" I try searching his eyes, but they were obscured by his hair. I don't trust anyone with eyes I can't see.

"Yup. I even heard from a friend of a friend of a friend who's my friend that you liked bunnies so I sent you bunny ears as an apology. It was too bad my roommate wouldn't let you touch them," He goes on, continuing with the gesture. "Though he didn't tell me that you liked gardening so maybe you could grow your own bunny ears. But here, have a look," He suddenly pulls out a fluffy white bunny ear from his balled fist. "Here, you can pet one now." He smiles, giving me the thumbs up.

Worried that he might not leave me alone if I didn't pet the rabbit ear, I reach out and stroke the strange ear. As soon as my fingers touched it, the ear gets sucked right back into the man's enclosed hand with a *shoop.*

"That's the idea," He nods knowingly. "And here's another." He holds up my bag which was supposed to be attached to my belt.

"How did you-"

"Watch," He holds my bag against the fridge and with a *shoop,* the fridge gets sucked into my bag. "You better run home before your face lifter gets back so I won't keep you," He waves. "So bye for now." He disappears into thin air; literally pops out of existence with the sound a quack.

"…What just happened?"

…

"Hey, Ash!" I charge into the house. "I'm…" I slow down my pace, feeling strange. "Home…Ash?"

It doesn't feel right here. As I walk down the hall towards Ash's room, I feel oppressed. My chest was tightening up and my breathing became slightly burdened. It wasn't enough to force me to the ground and gasping for air but…it was a creeping feeling, like someone had their hands wrapped around my throat, squeezing ever so lightly.

Alison, are you feeling okay?

"Ash, are you there?" I peek into his room. Seeing that he wasn't there, I become panicked and charge down the hall calling out for him. "Ash! Ash! Where are you?" The candles flicker on the wall as I run past them, making my shadow waver. "What's going on? Alison! What's wrong?" I practically scream. The paintings looked like someone had doused them with water and was it just me or was the hall even narrower?

A loud booming sound comes from the end of the hall and I come to a stop. Far down the hall a door creaks open and one by one starting from the end, the candles begin to go out not even leaving a wisp of smoke behind.

"Alison, if this is a trick you better stop right now!" I demand, trying to hold myself together. I even notice that I was biting down on my cheek again.

The ceiling no longer showed a moving blue sky. It was pitch black like the end of the hall and I swear, it feels like there's someone watching me. Whatever was putting out the candles was approaching and I consider just jumping into one of the rooms but the thought of Ash alone and Alison being…whatever was making her do this kept me rooted to the spot.

The moment the thought came to my mind, the candles stop going out. Only two candles were still lit in the bit of hall in front of me. Then I hear the footsteps.

"Ash? Alison? Is that you there?" I instantly regret speaking when I hear quiet distorted giggling coming from the darkness. I take a shaky step back step back, biting down on my lip. The small footsteps sounded like they were crossing the hall but I couldn't see anything in that darkness. It wasn't like…normal darkness. It was…suffocating?

The door of another door creaking reaches my ears and the footsteps stop.

"Ty? Welcome back," I swivel around, seeing Ash peek out of a door behind me. His hair was ruffled and he looks drowsy. Without hesitation, I make my way towards him, rush into the room and slam the door behind me.

"Woah, everything alright?" he asks as I lock the door. He was leaning on a crutch and glancing at the door, worried.

"…Great. Just fine. Don't worry," I smile, hiding my uneasiness. "You moved to the communications room." I note, looking around. Good choice. It's much safer in here.

"Yeah. Sorry that I didn't answer you. I was taking a nap and I didn't hear you right away…Are you sure everything's okay?" he questions me as I collapse on the couch.

"I'm just a bit tired. That's all," I pat the seat next to me.

"Really? Because you're doing that thing again." He remarks, carefully sitting himself down and leaning the crutch against the arm of the couch.

"What thing?"

"You're biting your cheek again," he yawns, stretching his arm. Both his injured leg and arm were in hard casts. A soft gold glow was emanating from them. Alison must have worked some magic before leaving. "

"Am I?"I say, stopping the reflex. Crap, he found me out already.

"Yeah, the last time you did that was…never mind. I'm just…when you came in here…did you feel something different?"

"You too, huh?" I sigh, feeling anxious.

"A few hours ago after Alison left for Warlic's tent, I started feeling sorta sick. Not stomach sick but…I just didn't feel good so I came here. I feel normal in here." He explains. "Does this mean that Alison feels sick?"

"She's probably playing a trick again," I assure him, forcing a laugh. "When she gets home, I'll ask. But for now…are you peckish?" I bring out my bag and place it on my lap.

"Maybe a little."

"Look what I got," I reach into the bag and grab on to the handle of a cake box. "My sister sent me some sweets," I take the box out. It was a pink box labeled "Chrono Rabbit" and I assume that it was the name of the café Justine found. Hmm, I guess anything that was in the fridge could be taken out of my bag quite easily. "We can pig out while we wait for my sister," I open the lid of the box, revealing an assortment of small pieces of cakes and mousse.

"Ty…"

"I hope you like strawberry cause the chocolate's all mine. Hey look, there's even tiramisu. Tiramisu tastes kinda like coffee. Hey, did you know that tiramisu means "lift me up" in a different language? My father even told me that it could even mean "take me to heaven," which sounds way too romantic for my liking," I say, pointedly ignoring the muffled sound of a broken music box coming from the hall. "It's really tasty though so let's share."

"Ty, you can't just-"

"Yeah? Something wrong?" I reply too quickly, voice faltering at the end. I try to keep my hand from shaking but I still must have looked twitchy. Ash searches my expression worriedly and glances back at the door again. I was worried that he was going to call me out but he reaches into the box instead.

"Is it okay to eat it on the couch?" He asks, picking out a piece of fruit from one of the cake slices.

"Yup, I don't mind. We eat here all the time anyway," I say, settling down somewhat.

"Which one is this?"

We eat and talk about random mundane things for the next while, ignoring the disturbing sounds coming from outside. Ash, to my embarrassment, must be playing along to keep me from freaking out. Ash is more perceptive than he looks and I'm grateful he hasn't asked me what was going on nor did he threaten to leave me.

"Hey Ash…"

"-so that's why I've been a bit nervous around Aria. It's a good thing that- oh sorry. What is it?" He asks. A few cake crumbs were stuck to his chin but that just made his smile all the more welcoming. I couldn't help myself. I throw my arms around him in a tight hug. Dammit, I'm supposed to be the adult around here.

"Easy there," he hugs back me with his healthy arm. "Now can you tell me what's wrong?"

"Nothing is," I lie. "Well maybe. When I didn't hear you answer me, I got worried. That's all." I pull back and shake my head, hands holding on lightly to his arm. "But if you do feel…that in this house again, go to this room or leave the house." But don't leave forever.

"But why-"

"Hello, Ash? Is Ty back yet?…Oh Fuck!" Someone swears loudly outside. The house begins to shake violently. Ash cries out in shock and I quickly grab a hold of him to keep him from falling. From behind the locked door, I could see lights flashing through the cracks and loud bangs resounded through the hall outside. And then it stopped. Everything became still.

"Ash, stay here," I get off of the couch and head to the door, footsteps steady once more. When I step out of the room, I realize that the oppressive force was gone. Now all I felt was fury.

"Alison, what the hell is going on? Do you know how fucking terrified I was…" My voice tapers off when I find Alison kneeling by a closed door down the hall. She was holding something.

"Alison…" I steadily walk towards her. "What happened?" I ask with a softer tone.

Everything had gone back to normal. The paintings were distinguishable again, the ceiling showed an overly cheerful blue sky and the hall was a bit wider than before. But Alison still didn't seem normal…well, as normal as she usually is.

Alison was still kneeling on the ground, unresponsive to my question. I think she was holding something to her chest but I couldn't tell what it was. Alison was shivering for some reason. I try reaching down towards her and-

"BOO!" She jumps up at me and I stumble back with a yelp. "Tricked you!" She laughs merrily and hops up and down, hands behind her back.

"Trick my ass. I can tell when you're playing a practical joke! Stop lying!" I yell, hoping that Ash couldn't hear.

"Oh…" She shrinks back. "So you got me…" Alison could be such a child at times.

"Alison…you saw what the house was like right?"

"I did so I fixed it." She replies curtly.

"Why was it like that?"

"Do you really want to know?" She asks, staring down at the floor. The candles flicker for a tenth of a second.

"Yes. Tell me what was wrong." I say quieter, trying to sound comforting.

"I…I saw…I saw a really scary book!" She says, flushing from embarrassment. "Warlic has really scary books. Bone chilling scary, Ty! Really scary! Brrrrr."

"A-are you…really?"

"Do you know what it takes to scare me? Of course it was that scary. Why else would the house be in such a mess! With the mind connection and all, you could feel my fear of the book!"

"Was that really it?" I ask, incredulous. "I was thinking about asking Ash to move out if you were being…scared."

"Don't do that!" She protests. "Look, I promise I won't read anymore scary stuff while we're here by ourselves. So there won't be a need to send girly boy away."

"I heard that!" Ash hobbles up to us with his crutch. "I'm not girly!"

"Yeah yeah," She sniffs the air. "Is that cake I smell? Did you two eat delicious cake without me? You monsters!"

And just like that, everything was back to normal. Except…I still feel a bit weird. My side hurts.

"Ty…Oh geez, TY! SOMETHINGS TRYING TO EAT YOU!" Ash yells and points at me.

"What the…" I look down at myself. I found a dragon lodging its teeth into my gut. "Libérta!"

"Ohh, congratulations. It's a boy!" Alison beams at the baby tries to rip my guts out.

"How did you get here!" I try to rip him off. "And I am not his mother!"

…

"I don't need a haircut." I scowl at Alison. All seven of us were at the cove sitting by the fountain. The sound of the water in the fountain and the twittering birds would have been calming…if it weren't for the fact that I was tied down to the chair.

"You'd think that having it set on fire several times would have gotten her to agree," Alison shakes her head as she takes a sip of the chamomile tea.

Sitting around me were Lady Celestia, Twilly, my evil sister, Ash with his arm and leg still in their casts and Libérta was napping on the table. Patch was standing behind me, scissors ready.

"Sorry, Lass. Arrr, yer hair be a nest. No offense meant. But don't worry. I know what the kids are into." Patch gives a hearty laugh.

"I wouldn't be so worried if you hadn't gotten a bunch of people to jump me!" I protest.

"There was no other way. You would have still said no anyways." Alison titters. For the past five days, there haven't been any more incidents at the house and she seems her usual self but still…

"Sorry, Ty," Ash bows his head. "Your hair's been getting…everywhere."

"He means that your hair's messy, it gets stuck everywhere and it falls everywhere." Alison points out.

"You mean like what normal hair does?"

"Oh, it won't be too bad," Lady Celestia assures me. "I think short hair would be good for you. More practical as well."

"And it won't fall into your food when you eat." Alison adds, poking Twilly in the tummy.

"I can tie it back!" I retort.

"Like you've been doing for the past few weeks? You haven't tied up your hair since chapter two, I-I mean since I last saw you," Alison gulps town her tea.

"I'm going to get some water to wet yer hair." Patch says, fluffing it up.

Libérta raises his head at that comment. He spits a blast of water at me again, completely drenching me.

"Ah, thank you kindly," Patch takes out a come and begins to straighten my hair.

"…At least it's nice and warm here." I swallow my irritation along with the mouthful of water that Libérta spat at me. "Unlike outside in town. The leaves are turning so it's Autumn now I guess. I really don't like the cold." I puff out, feeling Patch start to snip away at my hair.

"The cove is warm year round. That makes it a good place to raise a dragon," Lady Celestia comments. "It seems, however, that Libérta's been growing quite rapidly." She glances at Alison for a second.

"Heh Heh, he keeps breaking into our house, Ty," Ash reaches out to pat Libérta. "He must really like you."

"If he shows his affection with biting and trying to set me on fire, I dare say I'm in an abusive relationship." I glare at the dragon who's gone back to napping again. "He seems to like you and Alison just fine though."

"Perhaps he'll soon be able to stay with you permanently," Lady Celestia muses.

"Can you give us some more time? I think we'll really kill each other if he does start staying with me let alone start training with me." I blow away a stray strand of hair."

"Hmmm, how about a bonding trip?" Alison suggests. "Just the two of you."

"No way. Not with him," I frown at the notion. "Where would we be going anyway?"

"You mentioned before that you don't like the cold. Does a tropical vacation sound appealing?" Lady Celestia asks, stirring her tea. Strange…she didn't put milk or sugar into her tea. Also, what kind of weirdo puts anything into chamomile?

"Good timing, Lass," Patch says cheerfully, cutting more off in the back. "I was about to take a trip back home to Osprey Cove to visit me family. I was going to ask another adventurer to accompany me since the bandits are being awfully lively. If I have the Elite Knight of Falconreach with me, I'd be having no worries at all. After I'm done here, go run and pack your bags. We be leavin early in the morning."

"How wonderful. You and Libérta can accompany him. I'm sure a visit to a nice island would be good for the both of you. After all, Libérta doesn't know what the ocean looks like and water seems to be his favourite element." Lady Celestia says, looking relieved.

Water's his favourite element? The ocean? My death? Sounds all the same to me.

"Tomorrow? But what about you, Ash? Can you come with us with your broken arm and leg?" I glance over at him.

"It still hurts a lot. I don't think I should go." He shakes his head. "It's too bad though. Going on a trip with you sounds fun.

"I can't heal a broken leg and arm that fast without problems. And it wouldn't be a good idea to let him bounce around in a carriage and it's too dangerous to turn Libérta into an adult right now," Alison says. "But have no fear. I'll take good care of girly boy while you're gone."

"Hey!"

"I don't know…" I don't want to leave either of them behind. And then there's that other guy I need to think about.

"It's okay. You should go," Ash says. "Really. We'll be fine. I think your dragon really wants to go."

All of the talk had roused Libérta, who was now gazing up at me. His scales shine deep blue and he looks up at me, hopeful and eager.

"Well…if he really wants to…"

"Then it's settled!" Lady Celestia claps her hands together. "You'll love it."

…

"This feels weird…" I say to myself, running my hands through my now shorter black hair. It wasn't long enough to flow over my shoulders anymore. My new bangs bounce with each step, though I'm sort of trying to make that happen. It feels funny. The back strands were ticking the back of my neck and it feels so much lighter. I guess having the haircut wasn't so bad.

Patch had cut my hair to be short and choppy. He even said that having short hair might save my life. Well I guess it makes it less easy to grab but I don't see it saving my life anytime soon.

"Now where is he?" I look down into the miniature crystal ball in my palm.

I had packed up my bag with supplies and dragon chow for the trip tomorrow and double checked with Alison to make sure that she was okay. There was just one thing left to do and that was to tell destiny boy that I was leaving for a bit. Why? Well I don't want to look like the one who's skipped out on a rendezvous. My dad once told me that dropping a rendezvous was rude whether you were "evil" or "good" or neither.

But these past few days, Drakath's been in high spirits. I'm not sure if it was my advice that did it but since our meeting after the attack on the temple, he's been pretty eager to beat me senseless. He's always been that way but now he doesn't back down or start whining as fast.

And he's started to come here at a regular time though I still use the crystal ball to spy on him. It's not stalking I don't think.

When I reach the clearing, I find him leaning against a tree watching for me. I smirk and begin to approach, pocketing the ball. As I near him, I notice something strange. Drakath sees me, draws his sword and gets into an attack stance…but I don't think he recognizes me. I don't think it's because of the hair cut. The recognition doesn't hit him until I get nearer.

"Well look at this. There is a way for you to get uglier, peasant." He sneers but I don't react.

"Hey, how many fingers am I holding up?" I ask him, raising three.

"Are you listening to me?"

"No, really. Can you see me clearly from here?" I take a few steps back.

"Are you implying that I'm blind?" He strides over, preparing to attack.

"Okay, how about we try this." I sprint into the forest. He yells after me and begins to chase.

Wow, he's slow. I weave through the trees for the next few minutes, keeping a steady speed to let him catch up to me. Luckily enough for me, I find something similar to what I needed in the corner of my eye. Sprinting faster, I reach the bottom of a cliff side with several tall rocks sitting at the base. I quickly take my cape off and drape it over one of the rocks before hiding behind a nearby tree.

"Hey, dummy! Over here!" I yell in his general direction. Heavy footfalls alert me to his presence and he emerges from the trees completely missing me standing right beside him as he walks towards the rock with my cape. He stops suddenly, confused but nearer than someone with regular vision would have. Treading over to the rock carefully, he scowls when he finds that he's been duped.

"I'm not that short," I startle him from behind. He swings his sword at me and I deflect it hard enough to send his sword flying out of his hand and stabbing into the ground. Once again, he's defenseless and I'm threatening him with one of my small knives.

"But this is an interesting development," I comment, keeping my blade pointed at him as I take my cape back. His eyes dart to my neck, noticing the dragon amulet and he grits his teeth. "You might be near sighted or you think that I look like a rock. I hope I don't look like a rock."

"You're barely any better." He scoffs, glaring daggers at me as I move close to him.

"Do you know what near sightedness is?" I don't bother letting him answer and I reach out and cup his face, angling it down to let me see his eyes better. His eyes widen in surprise and he seems like he's about to attack me but stops mid action as I try to get a good look at his eyes. Good, saves me the trouble of holding him down on the ground.

"Usually it occurs naturally when you grow. Your eyes change shape naturally and to put it in terms that you can understand, it keeps you from seeing as far as others. Yours aren't too bad though. It's not enough to effect close combat but might hinder you in long range." I muse. I used to do this all the time. Using this as an excuse to get close. It helps to be "curious" at times. "Also, are you getting a cold? You seem quite warm."

Immediately, Drakath shoves me off, grabs his sword from out of the ground and begins to run off again.

"Wait! I need to tell you something," Again, to my surprise, he stops. When he turns back at me, I can see that even he's surprised with what he's doing.

"I'm going to be gone for a while so there's no need to come here for the next week or so." I say, rolling my shoulders back. "Try to keep yourself in top shape while I'm gone. Maybe get yourself glasses next time. But then again, I don't think I'd like you with glasses. I can't see your eyes as well that way." I laugh to myself and Drakath staggers back at my comment. He seems intimidated more than before. "But that's it. Well? You can run now."

"You…I…" He swallows and gives me one last glare before running off again. He sure does run away a lot but he doesn't seem to be getting any faster. Oh well. More to work on I guess.

I begin to head back home but a rustle in the bushes startles me.

"Is that you? You still want to go another round?" I step towards the bush. A blast of water shoots out of the bush and knocks me down to the ground on my back.

"Libérta! How did you follow me again?" I spit out another mouthful of water.

The dragon emerges out of the bush, scales still blue and wings silvery. He stares at me with a stoic expression.

"What is it now? You're supposed to be with Lady Celestia."

Silent as always, he pays my question no mind and flies over, hovering in front of me. I was about to stand up but then he spits something at my face. It wasn't water but it was wet with his slobber and now it was stuck on my face.

"Ewww, what's this supposed to be?" I peel the thing off my face and un-crumple it. It's a piece of paper; a wanted poster. Destiny boy's image was plastered on the poster. The artist had a good rendition of his perpetual scowl. At the bottom of the page was his name in bold and a reward for his capture, dead or alive. The sum was pretty big. Sure he was a bandit leader but looking from his past achievements before his apparent team up with Sepulcher, he sucked. The gold reward was way too high for someone like him.

"So what?" I ask Libérta. "Do you want me to bring him in?" He doesn't respond and keeps staring at me. If he was a human, he'd probably be standing over me with his arms crossed trying to guilt me. I bet that's what he does behind my back and in front of me all the time. I bet he's been following me here for the past few days and doing exactly that. That and biting and throwing up liquids on me. He's like some sort of sarcastic accusing baby from hell.

"Look, whatever you're trying to tell me, I'm just going to say that I'm fine. I know what I'm doing and besides, in the grand scheme of things all I am is your baby sitter." I stand up, and brush off the dirt clinging to my armor.

"Let's go, Lib," I start heading back again. "If you don't want me to see him, then you're in luck. We aren't seeing him for a while so let's head home." I say, hoping that it appeases him.

"OW, that's my neck!"


	20. Informed and Ready

"That'd be the last one, Lass," Patch says as we heave the last box of his belongings into the back of the carriage. "

We were just outside of the East entrance of Falconreach. Patch, Libérta and I were about to leave and Ash, Alison and the Lady had come to see us off. There was also the carriage driver but he wasn't very important. It was early in the morning; way too early in the morning. The sun had just barely peaked over the horizon and it feels too chilly.

"Have fun on your trip," Ash says, fidgeting with his crutch. "And hey, don't feel bad. We'll have fun here too."

"Maybe we'll even have a party," Alison adds in sliding a hand around Ash's shoulders. "And you aren't invited." She winks and wags a finger at me.

"At least try to keep from making a ritual sacrifice this time," I shake my head and chuckle. "That was a joke!" I say when Ash pales, hair standing on end. It technically was a joke. Technically.

"Now remember, just one bowl a day like I showed you," Lady Celestia steps forward, straightening my cape. "And it would be a good idea to keep from using the dragon amulet to grow Libérta into his adult form for now. Other than that, remember my lessons on his care and enjoy the scenery. Like the cove, the island is warm year round. It's very relaxing."

"I'm sure it is but with this guy around…" I thumb back at Libérta who was already lounging in the carriage. "I think I have to fear for my life." At that, Lady Celestia laughs and shakes her head.

"He is trouble I suppose but…don't you all like trouble?" She says cryptically.

"I suppose that's true," I shrug. "I guess we'll be going now, right?" I ask the carriage driver. He was having trouble with the horses apparently. "You gonna be okay there?"

"Yes ma'am," he says almost robotically. He was wearing a black scarf around his neck and a hat. I couldn't see his face well.

"Okay then…See you all later," I hug Alison and carefully hug Ash in that order. I hesitate at how to say my farewell to Lady Celestia but before I could work out an awkward goodbye, she also pulls me into a hug.

"Relax and have fun with Libérta, dear." She says before releasing me and stepping back. Feeling warm inside, I smile and nod eagerly.

"Ooh, before I forget," Alison slides up to me and slips something into one of the pouches on my belt. "Call me later. Or maybe I'll call you." She pats the pouch before stepping back.

"We're ready to go now," The carriage driver says as he gets on to the driver's seat at the front of the carriage.

"Right then, I guess we'll be off," I wave before climbing into the carriage.

"Thank ye again for letting me borrow the Lass," Patch thanks them, tipping his non-existent hat before he jumps in after me.

"Have a nice time, Ty," Ash calls after us as the carriage starts moving. I lean out the window and keep waving until they begin to go back into town just as we round a corner on That-a-Way. Sitting back in my seat and let out a contented sigh, leaning back and relaxing. That is…until I realize that the little monster beside me had woken up.

Libérta and I stare at each other for a minute, tense and waiting for the other to strike first. Patch, feeling uneasy, starts looking out the window and begins to whistle. Finally, Libérta snorts and turns his nose up at me before he sits up and leans on the door of the carriage to get a good look out the window. I squish myself up against the opposite door and gaze out the window, watching the trees pass by.

"Hey, Patch. How long did you say it was going to take to get to the coast?"

"We'll be thar by sunset if we don't stop."

"That's great…"

**...**

_"Fufufu, you're much craftier than I thought, my Lady," Alison whispers when Ash hobbles out of earshot._

_"…How so?" Lady Celestia asks in return, staring straight ahead._

_"D's told me a little bit about what's going around this place," Alison yawns as she takes one last look at the road to That-a-Way. "It seems that you're all in a bind and you're desperate enough to get my baby sis to help you. I don't have all the details but it has something to do with a prophesy, that dragon, apparently my sister and a destiny of destruction or salvation. Sounds heavy."_

_"…"_

_"And my baby sis has no idea. She seems to like you now but I wonder what she'll think when she figures out that you dragged her into something dangerous. Furious probably."_

_"…Ty may do as she pleases. Whether she chooses to aid us or not is up to her."_

_"So you seem to have her best interest in mind. But were you thinking about that when you set up this trip to Sho' Nuff?"_

_"…She did not have to agree."_

_"And she most likely wouldn't have if you told her the truth. But who am I kidding? D, Eric, Justine and I didn't but that was for D's sake and I suppose he thinks that this is good for Ty. But I guess he was doing it for yours as well. D knows how to take care of his friends. I wonder if you have our best interest in mind as well."_

_"I do…"_

_"Yes, using my sister as a tool does make me believe you."_

_"I am not using her!" Lady Celestia whispers back sternly._

_"Sure sure. I hope for your sake that my sis stays safe. If not, then the ShadowScythe won't be the only force Lore needs to worry about."_

_"A-are you threatening me?"_

_"Depends. I have the utmost love and respect for D and Ty likes you now but…if she ever changes her mind…well, I am her big sister," She starts walking to catch up to Ash before he hurts himself. She stops suddenly when a thought comes to mind and she looks back over her shoulder to the Lady who was shaking and wary. She says with a cruel smile and with mock affection in her voice "I wish you the best of luck, Mama."_

…

"Wow, it's getting really humid," I fan myself with my hand, still gazing out of the window. We had long left the forest surrounding Falconreach and traveled around the mountains. The ride was bumpy and jerky so it was impossible to sleep. Patch and I passed the time by talking, playing card games and Patch even coaxed me into singing some pirate songs. We sang an especially long one for four hours. The carriage shook the most while we were doing that so I guess that was the diver's passive aggressive way of telling us to shut up.

The whole time, Libérta was completely enrapt by the passing scenery. He kept shifting his colors to very bright green and blue hues as we continued on our rough trip, watching as the oak and yew trees turn to evergreen than to palm trees, vibrant ferns and Colocasia. He especially got excited when we passed the mountains. It was almost endearing if it wasn't for the fact that we were still trying to keep as much distance between us as possible in the cramped carriage space.

"We're gettin' close to the coast now. Ten minutes and you'll be able t' see t' ocean," Patch comments, leaning out the window for a second. "We'll be arrivin' at Aika Village and we'll take a boat t'Osprey. A good bucko o' mine will take us. But by the looks o' it, we be sailing in t' morning."

The sky was already dyed orange with the sunset and the light shining through into the carriage was making me sleepy. I don't know how far the island is from the coast but it wouldn't be a good idea to go sailing in the dark. Especially to a pirate town. I assume Osprey Cove is a pirate town judging by Patch's…pirateness. Or maybe I'm being judgmental and Osprey Cove is a coast town of lobster people.

Suddenly, Libérta's eyes widen and he flies out the window.

"What are you doing? Get back here!" I yell out the window. In a bout of frustration, I open the carriage door and leap out. I was sure I could run faster than the carriage; the driver really sucked at his job. "Libérta! I start sprinting after him, feet pounding against the sand. Patch yells something but I couldn't hear. I race after the baby dragon as he flies around a corner in the road. We were surrounded by thick leafy tropical greenery now and I lost sight of him through the bush. "Come back!" I shout, cutting through the bush. I use my sword to cut through vines and branches as I maneuver through. When I emerge from the greenery, I'm struck by a beautiful sight.

A beach was stretched out before me; it seemed to go on forever. The sun was just setting over the horizon, its image mirrored on the calm sea below. A small village of huts sat by the edge of the greenery and its people were pulling in their boats as the younger children splash around by the edge of the water. I was so entranced by the view that I didn't notice the pretty pinked haired elf walking up to me with Libérta in her arms.

"Hi there. Welcome to Aika Village," She greets me, snapping me back to attention. "Is this guy yours?" She asks when I jump in surprise at her words.

"Ah…why yes," I flash her a smile and bow with a flourish. "That little beast is…I guess he's mine. I'm a bit embarrassed about his behavioral problems but your charms seemed to have soothed him," The moment I finish my sentence, the little monster spews water at me. Now soaked, my good mood deflates and I heave a sigh. "Is this gonna be a regular thing?" My name doesn't even rhyme with rock.

"Pfft…wow. My name's Lilka. It's nice to meet you too," She stifles a giggle as she tries to hand me Libérta. He hisses at her and she promptly stops.

"Lass, thar you are!" Patch comes running over. The carriage driver comes up behind him. "Seems like you met Lilka already."

"This is your friend?" I ask. "The one who's going to sail us over to the island?"

"Well I'm still sort of new to the job but taking you to Sho Nuff won't be a problem…normally." She says as Libérta flies out of her arms and glides down to the sandy ground. "Come on. We can talk at my home." She says, motioning to a nearby hut.

"I will go and unpack," The carriage driver announces before heading off.

"I'll get something for you to dry off with too," Lilka continues as we head to her hut. Libérta even follows without making a fuss. "You are Ty I think. Patch didn't mention that you were the one coming."

"How do you know my name?" I ask, stopping in front of her home to get the sand off of my boots. I noticed that the walls of her hut were made out of bamboo. I did notice some bamboo stalks around when we were getting here. The foliage is pretty diverse.

"The rumors come here from the travelers that used to come around…wait, let me just grab you something," She pulls the door flap aside and walks in. A few seconds later, she invites us into her home and she hands me a piece of cloth.

"Thank you…you were saying?" I ask her to continue as I wipe myself down and look around her home. There wasn't much in here; it gave the impression that she only used the place to sleep. Lilka has a hammock in the corner of the room, a chest probably full of her belongings by the wall and a small wooden table on a straw mat in the middle. A wooden spear or staff with a green gem as the tip was leaning by the hammock.

"You're the famous hero of Falconreach. I hear you're crazy on the battlefield. You even fought while you were pregnant and facing down the evil mage of flying frozen fireballs," She gushes, as we take a seat on the ground around her table. "May I?" She reaches out towards my stomach.

"…I'm done explaining. The rumors have gotten out of control now so you know what? Go ahead," I say and she starts leaning over but Patch places a hand on her shoulder.

"She be jokin' with ye," He laughs heartily. "If Ty be pre'nant, me Lass's sister woulda committed re'icide."

"Oh, sorry!" She jolts back, purple necklace bounces against her chest. "I guess those guys a while back really messed up their story."

"I'll say," I rest my hands on the table. "Where did these guys come from?"

"Hmmm, I didn't recognize their accent but they must have come from close to Falconreach. It's too bad; they were excited to go to Sho Nuff but I had to turn them away." She sighs.

"Why?"

"…How much do you know about Sho Nuff?" Lilka asks, glancing back at Patch. The carriage driver comes in with a stack of Patch's boxes and places them by the door before he starts rearranging them.

"It's a tropical island?"

"Yes but do you know about the people?"

"Pirates?" I suggest. The carriage driver was being clumsy with the boxes. He almost drops one but Patch doesn't seem to mind. He promptly straightens the box before leaving for more.

"There are pirates but there are also the ninja's." Lilka clarifies, violet eyes leering at Patch. "And for some reason, he didn't tell you."

"I thou'ht the Lass knew!" He protests, putting his hands up in front of him in a defensive motion.

"I probably should've asked but I thought we were just visiting Patch's family. That doesn't have anything to do with ninjas I think." I come to Patch's defense.

"Normally it wouldn't but…Patch, what do you think of ninjas?" Lilka turns to Patch.

"Ninjas?" He looks at us incredulously as the carriage driver returns with more luggage. "They be nothin' but sneaky, treacherous and back stabbin' thieves! We pirates brave the seas headin' straight into danger with our bra'ery and might! All those scallywags know are how to sneak around like bilge rats, plaguing the island. We be at war with'em long before I was a wee little boy. But one o' these days, we'll boot em off our island for good!" He laughs heartily as the carriage driver leaves. "Harharhar…and that's what the other pirates would say. Don't be thinking that I be sympathizing with the ninjas. I don't be caring for them much but I don't hate them. I even gave some of them ninja's a haircut back in Falconreach. Not the ones from the Shadow of the Wind village but ninjas all the same," He explains, settling back down. "When I left me home for Falconreach, me buckos started thinking I be a deserter!"

"And that's why I can't ferry people over as much anymore. It wasn't as bad as before so the others and I could ferry travelers over to either the village or the cove as much as we like but lately…both have been attacking everyone. Only I'm able to get people over if it's an emergency or if they live on the island. I don't want the other villagers to get attacked." Lilka says.

"Me family sent me a letter about the trouble so I be thinkin of gettin them to come back to Falconreach with me after we stay for a week or two," Patch says. "But runnin into the ninjas might be a problem. Even some of me buckos might have it out for me…be'in a deserter and all." He says with quotations.

"Don't worry, Patch," I assure him, noticing that the carriage driver had just come back back. "I'll kick them away for you…but how come you just asked me? Wouldn't having more adventurers come be better?"

"Not right now; brings too much attention. So I went for the best instead, you being an elite knight and all," He motions to my cape.

"Heh…I guess so," I say, embarrassed as I glance to where Libérta was sitting. He wasn't there. "Oh come on!" I jump up and head to the house entrance, sidestepping the carriage driver and opening the flap. Libérta was gliding towards the water where a bunch of kids were playing around. "Drat, I need to get him before he gets into trouble," I practically throw my armor and cape off, dropping them on the sandy ground by Patch's luggage. "I'll be right back."

"Don't do that! Stay out there for a while. Your dragon has the right idea." Lilka giggles.

"Go for a swim, Lass. It still be light out. The Lady wanted you to have fun so why not start now ya crazy landlubber." He encourages me.

Patch had no idea how accurate he was when he called me a landlubber.

His comment made me hesitate but Libérta was already touching the water so I bound out, kicking sand up as I went. I sprint past confused villagers, huts and torches, eager to ruin Libérta's fun but I come to a complete halt when my bare foot touches the lapping waves. Right in front of me was the great expanse of water and I gulp down hard.

The kids were splashing around the sea, treading water, swimming and playing with the monster of a baby dragon. Well, he doesn't seem like a monster right now. He dive bombs into the water and then flings himself out before diving in again, making the kids shriek with laughter and joy.

"Well…I did come here to calm down," I sit myself just in front of where the tide stops, digging my feet into the sand. Heaving out a breath of air, I watch the kids play around. They swim like dolphins and if I was here with my family, someone would be telling me to go show off to them. Yeah, I'll show'em my awkward-deer-in-the-water swimming.

_"Go on, Ty,"_ They'd say. " _I bet you'll attract an admirer if you play pretty in the sea."_  Haha, that was funny at first but later it became so hilarious in hindsight that I almost drowned. I was even wearing a frilly purple bathing suit that my father gave to me when he was teaching me how to swim. My body would have looked like an oversized dead jellyfish beached up on the shore where the seagulls would've started to peck on my carcass. Or maybe my brother. Either one.

Also I was seven or eight at the time so that admirer comment that someone made sounds really weird now that I'm thinking about it.

"Hiiii," Someone calls to me, pulling me out of my thoughts. One of the kids was waving at me, beckoning me to come in. He says something else but I don't understand the language.

"Um…I'm sorry but I can't!" I yell back to him as I stand. He doesn't seem to understand so he keeps waving. The others start to join in. They were so far out. Like they had to be three meters out there!...Okay that's not very far but it is for me!

Wait a sec…where's that evil dragon?

I hear a hiss coming from my right and just as I turn, water splashes against my face again and I instinctively reach out to grab Libérta. I grab a handful of air and stagger forward. The brat had already darted back to the laughing children and I start fuming.

Without thinking, I start to hurry after him, splashing my foot into the water. The children clap and laugh, encouraging me to come out. By the time I make it out far enough for the water to reach up to my knees…I trip up and fall face first into the water.

The slap of water against my body startles me and I start flailing and spinning around. I scream from surprise and accidentally swallow a gulp of salt water. I try to swim, kicking my arms and legs out to move but the scream had given me little air left and I try jumping to the surface. The water was too deep and only half of my head gets above. I sink back down and squish my eyes shut. I must have sunk really low; my hands were on the sea floor and I thrash hard, trying to get myself to go back to the shore but it feels like the water's coming alive and pulling me down. I feel the sand getting kicked up by my movement and I just keep going until I feel the dry beach. Oh gods, something black and slimy had hugged itself to my face. Too freaked, I didn't even rip it off. I sputter out water and begin to run. I keep running, kicking up more hot sand and someone tells me to watch where I was going. I pay them no mind and keep sprinting until I slam into something that feels like a palm tree. I fall on my back with the air pushed out of my lungs but I quickly scramble back up to hug the tree for dear life. I sit there on the ground, hugging the trunk and shivering for fear of the tide taking me back out again. That gross thing was still clinging to my face.

… **...**

"Hey."

"There's something on my face," I stutter, hugging the tree tighter. "I think it's already eaten my eyes." I sob.

"Hey."

"It was so deep. I was going to die!"

"Hey, butthead. That's your hair on your face," the voice says, exasperated.

"Oh…really?" I wipe the thing off of my face. It really was my hair. Heh…this is embarrassing.

"Ah…how long was I here?"

"An hour, you idiot. The other kids got bored from watching you freak out."

"Oh my god…" I groan, face palming. Not as bad as last time at least. "Was everyone watching?...Wait, who's talking to me?" I look around for him.

"It's me butter-for-brains," Liberta puffs at me, floating above me.

"What the hell? You're talking? Why are you talking? Actually, why haven't you been talking for the last week?" I stand up and try brushing sand off of myself. I was still waterlogged and the sand was making me itchy.

"I don't wanna talk to you people. It makes my head hurt. I only made mouth noises because you wouldn't stop crying otherwise," He pouts, huffing out a puff of air. "Grandma's dragon friends say that human brains tastes like what humans call butter. You're brain seems as soft as butter and I want what the humans call intelligent conversation."

"So you're a snobby week old baby. How did you manage that?" I ask him, watching people stare at me like I was crazy as they walk past. What was their problem?

"I listened to you speak while I was still in the egg. I also learned from grandma. Grandma's mouth makes noises that doesn't make me want to throw up."

"Likewise you, little shit." I growl at him, wringing the water out of my hair.

"Why do I have a butt-face as a mother?"

"Hey, watch your fucking language." I snap back.

"Choke on your tongue and die." The dragon hisses.

"I'll-"

"Hey there," Lilka walks up to us, holding her staff. "Everything alright?" She asks slowly like she was afraid that she would provoke me. "Who are you talking to?"

"Oh…uh hi. I was just talking to Libérta…my dragon that is," I say, embarrassed. I hope she didn't hear our conversation.

"Really? Oh, good. I thought that you went crazy or something and started to talk to yourself," She laughs, relaxing again. "I forgot that dragonlords could talk to their dragons. It kinda looked like you were talking to a tree. My bad."

"Dragonlord?"

"She means you, butterface." Libérta sticks his tongue out at me.

"I wasn't asking you-" I stop myself, coughing to clear my throat. "Sorry, my dragon was just being annoying." A glob of water is shot in my face.

"You two are a riot," Lilka laughs.

"I'm sure we'll eventually start one too." I grumble, wiping the water from my eyes. "Is it about time to turn in?"

"Yup. I just came to tell you that now. We'll leave early so get some shut eye."

"Are you going to tell her that you swim like a deer getting chased by a gator?" Libérta drawls.

"Go dive head first into a wood-chipper," I retort, making Lilka confused.

"What's a wood-chipper? Is that a tool?" She asks.

"Uh, yeah it is I guess. Sorry, I was just talking to my dragon again. Haha, he's probably grumpy again. He needs to get some food and shut eye." I feign a laugh.

"Then let's get back to my home. I'm sure you must be hungry. I heard you playing at the beach all the way from inside my house. It sounded like you had fun." She says, leading us back.

"That's one way of putting it." I really want to tear Libérta's smug expression off of his face but an innocent was present.

… **...**

"Is he coming with us too?" I whisper over to Lilka as the carriage driver drops the last box on the deck of Lilka's ship. This morning the clouds rolled in. The sky was stark white compared to the day before. I couldn't see any patch of blue at all.

"Says that he sees his job right up to the end," Lilka glances over to the carriage driver as she raises the sail of the ship. It wasn't a huge ship so it could be manned by even just one person not that it wasn't impressive. "He comes from Falconreach like you, right? Do you know him?"

"I've seen him around just minding his own business but I think he came to Falconreach with the rush of new travelers. After the spiderweaver incident I think. Don't know him very well but Patch said that he jumped at the opportunity to take the job. Offered him the lowest price even. I think I know why too. He sucks at his job. Patch said that he never got seasick but on the carriage ride, he was ready to throw up his sea potatoes."

"He said the same thing to me when I first ferried him to his home," Lilka muses as she looks south. "After I left my home village and came to Aika, my sailing was less than admirable. Did you know that you can flip a ship three hundred and sixty degrees while going the speed of sound? I sure didn't and I will never use elf magic to make a ship go faster again. At least the passengers thought it was a parlor trick to entertain them."

"Must've been fun then." I smile, watching Libérta fly around Patch as he pulls the last of the cargo on board.

"Yes, almost scraping the sea floor was very fun. Good thing Patch was there. He offered me some ship handling lessons and before I knew it, I became a pro. I wonder what would've happened if he didn't help me out." She giggles at the notion, wind blowing her short pink hair back.

"Wow…" I was about to compliment her when I feel another sharp pain at my side. I don't even have to guess anymore.

"Umm…aren't you going to tell him to get off of you?" She points down at the dragon gnawing my hip.

"….Eventually, ow, I will, ow. But let me, ow, just enjoy, ow, the view, ow."

"Of what?" She asks, moving to lean over the side of the ship and gazing out far. "I don't see anything worthwhile. The weather's not very nice right now and everyone's still sleeping so nothing much is happening."

"I think the view's great from where I'm standing." I smile, not taking my eyes off of her. Libérta suddenly growls and tightens his grip and it's starting to really hurt. "Libérta! What's your problem?" I was about to fling him off of the side of the ship.

"We be done loadin' up the cargo so if ye be done flirtin' get yer child under control and we can set sail." Patch pats me on the back and smiles to Lilka. "Best start now."

"Right then. The sea's calm and we have a fair a steady wind blowing towards our destination so Ty, go raise the anchor." Lilka says before she heads to the helm.

"On it," I make my way to the chain of the anchor. Libérta climbs up to rest on my shoulder as I pick the chain up. I feel someone come up behind me and I look over my shoulder, finding the carriage driver. He picks the chain up as well and I nod to him in acknowledgement. "Ready, heave!" We both pull back on the chain and to our surprise, we almost send it flying over the side of the ship and slam it through the deck. Luckily, we both see the anchor about to make Lilka very angry so we both jump back and on instinct, catch the anchor as it falls. We bend our legs to cushion the weight of the anchor and set it down gently. When we finish the job, we stare at each other, both equally surprised.

"Wow, you're stronger than you look," I comment, getting a better look at him. His arms were thin but they were well toned. His frame was slim too but maybe he was just made out of solid muscle. "Hey, I didn't catch your name."

"I am Hi-Henry." He coughs out his name like it was strange to him.

"Okay then, Hi-Henry. Thanks for the help," He nods curtly at my thanks and walks off, heading below deck. I watch him as he leaves and Libérta flies off of my shoulder and on to the railing of the ship.

"Hmmmm….no way. It's too obvious to be true. What do you think?" I ask Libérta but he's too caught up in watching the sea. His scales were shifting again. This time from sky blue to deep indigo. He swishes his tail back and forth in time with the passing waves. Finding that I quite like him like this, I lean on the railing beside him and we watch the passing sea as Lilka and Patch start up a pirate tune.

… **...**

"Butterbrain. Hey, Butterbrain. Wake up. Wake up, that lady's calling you…"

A hard bite on my shoulder jolts me awake and I was about to throw a punch at Libérta when I hear Lilka calling for me.

"Ty, would you mind getting Patch? He's below deck." She calls to me, still at the helm. She sure has a lot of stamina. How long has it been? I must have been asleep for a while now. I probably dozed off a few hours back when I laid down on the side of the deck to watch the sky and feel the rocking of the boat. "We're about to hit land." She continues.

"Oh, sure!" I yell back, using the railing of the ship to pull myself up. I take a look around and find that we were right next to the shore but there was no dock or town in sight. Just palm trees and a lot of bamboo stalks. "Lilka, are you sure we're close by?" I couldn't see her from where I was standing. The mast and sail were blocking my view of the helm.

"Yup, trust me. It's a bit far off but I can use my elf magic to make us go faster," She says, overly cheerful.

"But you…"I trail off.

Oh…I see.

"Libérta, stay close to me." I mouth to him. He blinks at the comment, eyes darting over in the direction of Lilka's voice. His scales shift to white suddenly before he flies to me, clinging to my stomach before he moves to my back, covering himself with my cape.

"Okay, Lilka. I'll go get Patch," I say, walking over to the hatch that lead below deck that was located right behind the mast. What a place to put it.

I lift the door open before hopping as silently as I could on the boom of the mast or whatever you call that thing that you tie the bottom part of the sail to. I tip the hatch door over with my foot, hoping that my shadow isn't noticeable. Almost immediately after the hatch slams closed, the carriage driver darts out from under the mast and locks the hatch.

I jump at him, unsheathing my sword. Sensing movement behind him, he dodges and I only manage to slice a part of his scarf off. He lands, sliding back on the deck a bit, and unsheathes a kunai.

"What do you want from us?" I charge at him, going in for a stab. He blocks with his weapon and backflips on to the rail. Was this guy spying on us the whole time? What does he want with a barber and his friends?

"I do not need to answer to a cohort of those disgusting pirates," He starts running down the rail towards the helm. I match his speed and send a volley of knives his way. His image somehow fades out and he dodges all of them, letting them fly into the ocean. Damn him, it's hard to get refills on the go. But he does slow down a bit because of that move. I make it to Lilka before he does. She was tied up by the wheel. I was about to slice the rope off but the ninja's already right behind me.

I had to turn around and block his slash. His movements are much faster than mine and unrelenting. Wielding the kunai lets him move more flexibly and by the looks of it, the kunai's dripping with poison. I have armor but my head was unprotected so one cut on the cheek might be the end. And then there's the matter of him using Lilka as a hostage if I lose ground.

Of course, one slash on him could mean his end. But I guess it doesn't need to be a slash.

In a fluid and quick motion, I throw my cape up and it hits his face and disorients him. Libérta launches himself off of my back and towards the ninja, firing an ice ball at our ambusher. He spots it and smashes his kunai into the ice ball and it breaks into shards. The force of his deflect makes him flinch and a shard stabs into his shoulder. That flinch gave me enough time to turn around and slice off Lilka's ropes.

She makes no hesitation to move to her staff laying at the stern of the ship. The ninja rips the ice shard out of his shoulder and shoots it towards Lilka. The moment I move to cut the shard down, he darts past me and speeds towards Lilka. He leaps on to her staff just as she grabs it. He kicks her hard and she crashes back into the wheel, making it spin. The ship lurches and I almost lose my footing. Keeping his balance, the ninja runs and jumps on the wheel, throwing a shuriken at me. I barely dodge the projectile as it grazes my shoulder before he throws three more and leaps off of the wheel. I duck the shuriken but I know I won't be able to dodge him this time and I brace for his attack.

"Take this!" Libérta barrels into the ninja, flinging him off course and bouncing him off of the railing and a mop and bucket. He grunts in pain as he gets on his knees, holding his bruised side.

"Stay down and don't pull any tricks." I kick him down again. He rolls on his back and I stomp down on his chest.

"Ack!" He coughs. He grabs my leg and tries to trip me up but I stand firm. "What's a ninja like you trying to achieve by attacking a barber and his friends?" I demand, pressing my foot harder against his heaving chest as I point my sword at him.

"You won't get away with this!" he hisses. "I'll stop you…all of you!"

Huh? What is this guy talking about?

"I'll get Patch out!" Lilka says, getting up and running to the locked hatch that Patch was under. He was banging away on the door from below, yelling something about a son of a biscuit eater.

"Just what are you talking about?" I demand him.

"I see you and that barber…he's been recruiting the scum of Falconreach to destroy us and now he even has Alteon's minions at his command!" He growls through gritted teeth. "You'll never destroy the Shadow of the Wind Village!"

"Wait…I think you're confused, we-"

"I'll keelhaul the villain who be attackin' us. Them and their friends!" Patch swears at a really bad time.

"We need to get out of here!" Lilka rushes to the helm. "We're too close to the ninja's village! If we don't get away soon we'll-"

A high pitch whistle interrupts her and I stare down at the ninja in bewilderment.

"What…Oh shit! It's a signal!" I warn the others. Lilka was just about to touch the wheel when a volley of shuriken, kunai and one katana (what kind of asshole throws a katana? You don't throw a katana!) and Lilka jumps back.

Three other ninja's appear on the deck right out of thin air, all dressed in normal ninja attire. All were, as far as I could tell, male. The slim one that had a kusarigama, a chain-sickle, grabs Lilka and a slightly lanky almost gawky ninja with a manriki, a kind of weighted chain that you use for immobilization, grabs a hold of Patch. The largest of them starts swinging his chigiriki, a morningstar like weapon, threateningly.

Weighing the odds of me going up against the four of them when they're using my friends as hostages without them getting hurt and me winning, I tighten my fists and grit my teeth as I step off of their leader. He gets up and brushes the dirt off of his shoulders as I step forward, sword still in hand.

"Alright," I begin, clearing my throat. "Let go of my friends and yours won't get hurt much." I say, earning the confused glances of everyone around me.

"You?" The ninja still dressed as a carriage driver steps up. "You must be confused or mentally disabled like the pirates. We have your friends not the other way around…why are you all looking at me like that?" He asks until he notices that Libérta was loosely holding his neck with his jaws. He had flown off the boat when the ninja signaled his allies and stayed hidden until now. For some reason, trained assassins didn't take him into account or just plain forgot. In fact…why are there only four all together?

"So then. Do you wanna see if a ninja's reflexes are faster than a dragon's fire breath?"

"I'm using ice." Libérta corrects me. I just plain ignore him.

"A-and what of your allies?" The ninja holding on to Patch asks shakily. His voice sounds high.

"A scratch equals ninja-yaki that I will let my dragon eat," I threaten them. "In fact, he can start now if he wants." Libérta begins to sink his teeth in, making the ninja wince in pain.

"Don't do it!" The hostage ninja says just as the one holding Patch lets him go like he was suddenly on fire. Patch rushes up beside me and our ninja hostage leers at the one that let Patch go. The one holding Lilka hesitates, staring hard at us before he also drops his hold on her. Lilka rushes off to the wheel.

"Now, one by one, you all get off the ship," I point at island shore.

"Come now, kids," Patch begins. "We just be headin' to me home for a visit."

"A likely story, Pirate filth!" Our hostage spits. "Once we get back, we'll round up our brothers and sisters and hunt you down."

"Shut up, man," His bigger friend says. "You're not making "letting you go" look good right now."

"…Lass, just let the boy go now." Patch says after a moment of thought.

"What? Why?" I glance back at him in disbelief. "They'll murder us the moment we do that!" I protest. "There's no benefit!" We were supposed to get them to leave, move the boat farther away and then dump the stupid ninja on the island when we were far enough away from the ninja village. That makes way more sense.

"Look at 'em. They just be guppies like you," Patch points out. "We not be wantin' anyone hurt, Lads. I just be a simple barber. We only be visiting. We ha'e nothin' against you ninjas so Lass, if you could please?"

Patch…your explanation holds no water at all. They aren't just going to let us go if we do that. If I were them, I'd nod, wait till my bro's out of reach then mutilate the fuckers who tried to hurt my bro after we torture and interrogate them, drag their convulsing bodies to a catapult, set them on fire and fling them at the houses of their families before then reaping the rewards. That's the sanest thing to do.

Patch's way of talking and the reassuring smile on his face, however, sways both me and the three ninja's who were staring at Patch like he suddenly turned into a panda…he might as well have. He looked as friendly as a big fwuffy panda. I had no idea pirates could do that or maybe it's just Patch who can do it. Or maybe he's playing it up for both Lilka's and my own benefit.

"…Fine," The larger of the three says. "Let the retar…er…ehem, our friend go and we won't trouble you." The others nod in agreement.

Holy shit, it worked.

"Lass, please?" He turns to me. Lilka was already steering the boat away and the three ninja's lowered their weapons.

"…Okay. But only because you asked," I sigh, sheathing my sword. Libérta hesitates, scales turning a misty grey, but he does reluctantly loosen his grip and hovers back. The ninja feels around his neck and leers at the both of us. He closes his eyes, pensive. His shoulders slack and he seems to take Patch's words seriously.

Shaking my head at how crazy it was that Patch's negotiation worked, I turn to him to say that he was the first pacifist pirate I've seen in a while when he suddenly grabs my arm and tugs me towards him. I twist as I fall to the ground, hearing a sharp crack of wood being hit against Patch's head. He falls to the deck in a heap.

"Missed," The ninja standing over the two of us remarks, mop in hand. When we had our guard lowered, the bastard had grabbed the mop nearby and tried to brain me with hit but Patch took the hit instead. "Won't miss this time." He pulls out another poisoned kunai and makes no hesitation in lunging at me for the kill.

"Shit!" I curse, trying to move out of the way fast enough but it was pointless. He was much faster than me and I reacted too slowly. The others were about to attack as well; I could see them rushing towards us. Someone yells at the ninja in fury and then the ship lurches violently, throwing them off balance.

The four of them fall, including my assailant who uses the rail to stay semi standing, and I can see Lilka at the helm, glowing with elfin magic. The green glow encases the ship and suddenly we're traveling at a hundred miles an hour while the ship begins to tip over.

With one goal in mind, I grab Patch as the deck's about to touch water. As we all fall towards the sea, time slows down in my head.

The one that attacked Patch was right in front of me, trying to keep ahold of the rail. I didn't have to think hard about this one. While still keeping Patch in my grasp, I reach out to grab the back of the ninja's head. His attention was concentrated on the boat going out of control and I met no resistance as I grab a hold of the back of his head and slam it into the railing with all of my wrath and might. The wood of the ship rail chips when his forehead hits. He goes limp when I let him go; he's completely out cold.

Just as we all go under, I take satisfaction in the fact that he probably won't make it to shore breathing.

And then I realize that I probably won't make it to shore breathing either but then the bucket that was with the mop gets flung into my face by the movement of the ship and then all I could see was blackness.

… **...**

"Ty! Ty, wake up! You need to hang on!" A voice rouses me. Oh man, did I fall asleep in the shower? Everything feels wet…

"Oh no!" I wake up in shock with a pounding headache. "Where are we?" I sputter, coughing out salt water. The four of us, Patch, Lilka, Libérta and I, were clinging on to a wooden plank. Lilka was shivering and Patch was barely conscious. Put that together with me beginning to flail around from panic put us in a bad situation.

"Ty! Ty, calm down!" Lilka shouts, struggling to keep ahold of Patch and the shaking plank. "We're floating! You have to calm down!"

"Butterbrain, calm down!" Libérta was sitting in the middle of the plank, failing at his support.

"W-what's going on?" I sputter, trying to keep my shaking to a minimum. We're floating bait! Something's going to charge at us from below and we'll get eaten! We have to get to shore!

"I used my magic to speed up the boat when I thought that he was going to kill you," Lilka attempts to explain the situation soothingly to me. "It threw them off and we got shot towards Osprey. I overreacted and used too much power for the spell and it ripped the ship apart but we're together and safe thanks to Patch. We just need to reach shore."

"P-Patch saved us?" I try to concentrate on her words instead of the water and the fact that I couldn't see the shore anywhere. Patch groans something that I couldn't understand.

"He came to for a while when we all hit water. You were knocked out so he pulled himself together for a bit to hold on to you and the boat rail until we ended up here. Luckily we didn't get separated but we need to hurry and get to land. Patch needs land where we can help him properly."

I nod at Lilka's words but being half submerged in water was not doing any good for my nerves.

"Where's the shore?"

"Um…this way I think," Lilka nods to her right. "I'll steer and you can kick and help me hold on to Patch."

I comply, holding both Patch and the plank for dear life. I kick as steadily as I could and press my head against the plank, closing my eyes and taking deep breaths. I start pretending that I wasn't in the middle of the ocean right now…No I'm not. I am back at Sunbreeze playing around with Twilly and Libérta as Mama watches us. That's why I'm soaked. It's the good kind of soaked; the deliriously fun kind. Not the bad kind where I'm cold and shivering as I float in the middle of the ocean waiting for father to come get me before the black shadow in the water tries to pull me down again. No, it's not here. No No NO NO NONONONONONONO-

"NONONONONONONO-" I start panicking and screaming.

"Ty! Ty, stop! You're making the plank lurch! Ty!" Lilka tries calming me down by slapping the back of my head. It works and I stop myself from drowning us all. "Okay…sorry…Um…just close your eyes again and let's talk." She levels her voice.

For an agonizing half an hour, we paddle towards shore with Patch almost out cold, Lilka trying to keep us together as she talks about the stuff she did yesterday and me keeping my head down against the plank. Libérta curls himself into a ball and leans against my head, staying quiet the entire time.

Then Lilka goes quiet.

"Are we at shore yet?" I ask her tentatively, slowly opening one eye. She was staring off into the distance, paler than before.

"Stay still," She whispers urgently, eyes fixed forward.

I dared myself to look up at what she saw and I see the shore of Sho Nuff being guarded by a waving skull and crossbones flag. A sizable pirate ship was sailing towards us not noticing we were there.

"Pirates…Do you think they'll help us si-since Patch is with us?" I whisper to Lilka.

"I…don't know…,"Lilka says. "They are pirates after all. What if they just rob us?" She has a point.

A loud boom goes off and a cannonball hits the water just a meter away from us, making the plank rock. The spray of water rains down on us and immediately, Lilka and I start kicking ourselves away.

"They saw us! They saw us!" I basically start screaming at this point. Libérta, perhaps because he was also frightened, crawls under my soaked cape.

We desperately try to get away but trying to outrun a huge frigate on a wooden plank was impossible.

"Oi there!" A Pirate jeers at us, waving his cap. "You look like you be needin' a lift. Too bad I don't be havin' any!" he throws his head back, laughing at his own joke. His crew run to the side of the ship and laugh along with him. "Look at what we 'ave here. A pretty elf lass, a corpse and…a ninja." He spits at the last part.

"Ninja? There isn't a ninja here!" I yell.

"One just garbled out some gibberish right now," He smiles, showing his blackened teeth. "And it seems yer Elf friend and you sent one of me pirate brothers to Fiddlers Green. We should be returnin' the favor." He takes a pistol out of its holster on his belt as he rearranges his eye patch.

"What is he talking about?" I look at Lilka. Patch was completely out and now I was afraid that he might've gotten a concussion.

"Ty…I think he thinks you're a ninja," She doesn't tear her eyes away from the crew on the frigate. Their cannons were aimed at us and the crew looks bloodthirsty. "I think it's because of the way you look."

"Shit! I'm not a ninja!" I yell. "And Patch isn't dead! We need help! I'll even pay you!"

"Sure…You'll pay me with a stab in the back me thinks. That's the only thing you lot know how to do right. Ninjas; bilge rats, all of you." He spits into the water and so do the rest of his crew. "Oi, show me how well a ninja can dodge in water."

The pirate pulls the trigger on his pistol and the shot hits the plank an inch away from my thumb. I almost slip off but I scrape the plank with my nails, trying to stay on as well as keeping a hold of Libérta under my cape.

"Damn depth perception," He groans, placing the pistol back in its holster. "Have at em." He gives the order and one of the pirates lights a cannon.

"Ty!" Lilka takes a hold of both me and Patch and pushes off of the plank just seconds before a cannonball blows it to smithereens. I grab Libérta out from under my cape and let his head peek out of the surface to let him breathe. Lilka and I were having trouble keeping Patch up. We can't survive a cannonball hitting us so the only thing left to do is…dive.

"No…no I can't dive," I start sobbing. "Libérta, fly to shore."

"What?" Libérta wriggles under my arm. "But Butterbrain, you swim bad."

"That's why you need to go. Fly quickly to the beach and stay there."

"NO!" He hisses. "Are you stupid?"

"Libérta, go ahead," Lilka says. "I don't know what you're saying but do what Ty says. I'm a great swimmer and I'll take care of both of them. We'll find you."

"Fire five this time, Lads! I wanna see arms fly!"

"Aye Aye!" The crew reply in unison

"Go now! I'll meet with you," I push him out of my arms and he swims in place beside us. "Now!"

"No! Liar! You're a bad liar!"

"Stop arguing and-"

The cannonball hits hard. It didn't hit us or it would have broken all of our bones but it does graze and the force of it is enough for me to lose my grip on the others. I start sinking into the depths. I can't take it anymore. Screaming internally, I try swimming to the surface but my panicked movements don't do me any good and I didn't breathe in when I got knocked down. My chest was burning and as it starts getting darker, I squeeze my eyes shut and clutch at my neck. Hoping this was a dream, I think back to the fountain again, then to the beach from ten years ago.

Father was playing around with me and I was actually laughing as we splashed around. The four of us which included Justine, …, my father and I, were out a little too far. The water was darker around here but I had no problem diving down deep. I break to the surface and wave at Justine on the shore. I felt something brush against my foot and I giggled thinking it was father. Then it tugged hard, pulling me down so deep that my ears started to pop. I thrashed and thrashed but nothing was stopping whatever it was. Finally, it lost its grip and I shoot to the surface. I was at the surface and I couldn't see the shore or my family. I could feel that thing circling me and I had no idea what to do. I started crying and then…and then…

"WAKE UP!" A water muffled shout tears me out of my memories and I'm back, still sinking into the water. My eyes slowly open as the last bit of air escapes my lips. I swear there's someone talking to me and pulling on my cape but I..I…

"I said WAKE UP!"

Suddenly, I feel the water around my neck heat up. The amulet on my chocker glows red and the water begins to bubble. Feeling myself floating down on something solid, I open my eyes a tiny bit and find that the light at the surface was getting brighter.

I break through the surface, feeling the rush of air against my skin. I cough and sputter out water through my mouth and nose as we shoot up through the air.

"Ty!" Lilka was here. She was holding on to Patch about two meters from me, hanging on to a wall of…ice blue…scales.

A furious and deafening roar sounds through the air as we shoot up into the sky on the back of Libérta's magically fully grown form. The amulet was burning bright red and the water droplets evaporated off of it, creating steam. Wood chips were flying everywhere and I assume that we shot out through the pirate's frigate.

I couldn't tell where we were. I was pinned to Libérta's back and now we were doing a nose dive. We haven't ever practiced with his adult form and he couldn't control his flying. His movements were jerky and his wing beats were uneven.

"AIM FOR THE WATER!" I yell, hoping that he hears.

One second later, a crash echoes through the tropical forest of Sho Nuff and across the ocean before everything went silent.

…

"L…La…Lass? Lilka?" What's…Why does me head feel like…erg." Patch groans, slowly opening his eye. He was lying on his back on the beach, wrapped in my cape.

"It's okay, Patch," Lilka says from beside him. "We're nowhere near Osprey or The Village so we'll be fine." I was sitting right next to her, cradling an exhausted Libérta in my arms.

There was a huge crater in the sand halfway on the dry beach and halfway into the water. Ice was floating around on the shore and gleaming in the late afternoon sun.

"Patch…I'm sorry. You got hit by that stupid ninja but I hit him back. Now we just need to see if you're okay and then we can try to find a way back." I tell him, feeling his forehead. A long red mark runs from his ear to his noggin.

"It must be late now isn't it Lassies? I can't see a thing." He says staring into space as he rubs his head. The eye that wasn't under his eye-patch darts around but remained unfocused.

"What do you mean you can't see? The sun's still out…"Lilka trails off and my heart falls. The memory of that ninja hitting him runs through my mind and I grit my teeth in anger.

"…So it is now…Oh, well. I had me good eye for a good time and I saw a lot," The sides of his mouth tugs up into a smile.

Staying silent, I stand up with Libérta breathing steadily in my arms and walk off to be alone. Lilka doesn't stop me. I walk on the pearl white sand feeling the gentle tropical breeze caress my cheeks. It was a calming scene that contrasts with the hurricane going on in my head My chapped lips were in a straight line and I hold Libérta to my chest tightly as I think back on my memories, burning the images of those pirates and ninjas into my mind.

No matter what it takes or how low I need to stoop, I will make both the ninjas of the Shadow of the Wind Village and the Pirates of Osprey Cove burn in the fires of their own conflict.

* * *

 

**Informed and Ready: Side of D**

"What am I doing here?" I ask myself, clasping and unclasping the hilt of my sheathed sword, watching through the trees for any sign of the peasant darting through them, laughing and smiling at my expense.

Even though she said that she was leaving for some time, I came here anyway and waited. I have no idea why. The thought of her makes me seethe. What was she doing? She came everyday no matter the time and insists on bating me. One of these days I'll make the peasant regret it. Wipe that pretty smile right off of her face if there is one left after I'm done with her.

I still didn't know how she did it though. She knew exactly when I came to this place, either coming early or arriving a few seconds after me. I've spent hours thinking about her and how she manages to do that. I came at different times each day with no set pattern. The only answer that I could come up with was that she's been stalking me.

I can't decide if I should be angry or worried.

_See you tomorrow maybe and the day after that too. And the day after and the day after…_

Just remembering what she said that day makes my stomach turn. How is it possible to hate someone so much that you'd want to see them every day just to have a chance to beat them to a pulp yourself.

Only that peasant could cause this.

Just thinking about her made me clench my teeth and almost snap the handle off of my sword. But no matter. It's my destiny to rule this land and I'll have her grovel at my feet eventually.

_You seem quite warm._

The memory of her touching my face and making that comment flashes in my mind again and I kick the nearest tree with all my might. It didn't hurt my foot. I was just on the ground and clutching my boot to check if I didn't make a scuff on it. That's the reason.

Wait…how long was I here? That walking corpse had sent me a message saying that he was going to send me to some island to retrieve an orb or some sort.

I get up and start heading back to the camp. A break from fighting with the peasant would be a good reprieve. I wouldn't need to listen to her annoying voice for a while. And I'm happy about that. Very happy. Incredibly happy. I am very…happy.


	21. Poor Timing

**And Now, Something Different**

"Kyaaa, I'm late!" I cry as I run as fast as my slim legs could take me. I was going to be late to my first mission assignment.

My name's Yumiko! I'm a ninja with short black hair, blue eyes and maybe just a bit clumsy. My Oni-san and I were training to become ninjas! My big bro already had a high rank and that means I have to be next! They call me the tiny tornado or "Chisai Tatsumaki!" I'm superfast, strong, smart, kawaii, intelligent, pretty but I'm just a tiny bit chubby. Just a tiny bit.

But to balance that out, I'm good at shogi, flower arranging, calligraphy, baseball, kendo, swimming, talking to unicorns, sword fighting, archery, academics, musical composition and stuff like that.

"Uwaaaa, it's a neko!" I screech as I point over to a wandering cat as I speed away.

Maybe you've heard of me? I'm super popular around here. Despite my troubling and dark past, I've rose above it and become the best! I'm at the top of literally everything! BUT…senpai hasn't noticed me yet. He's sort of a bad boy around here but that's nothing I can't change! If I could just-"

"Hey, Yumiko!" Someone calls out to me.

"Yeah, nani-?" As I turn around something hard hits me in the head and I fall backwards. As I hit the ground, disoriented, I realize that someone was standing over me.

"You might wanna stop talking to yourself. Also, you said that you were smart twice. And I plead to the high powers of this world that you don't do that all the time. And, oh god, it's not Chisai Tatsumaki you dumb shit. It's 小さい竜巻。And even then it still sounds like a retarded nickname."

That was the last thing I heard before the dark shape of a boot gets stomped into my face and everything goes black.

Who is this monster?

* * *

 

 

Three days…three days I've been waiting in the same place looking for someone who resembles me and out of all of them…it had to be the one with the pig tails. I can't do pigtails.

"Hurry up, Butterbrain," Liberta snaps, darting out from behind the palm bush we were hiding behind. "Muggers don't stand around after a mugging!"

"First of all, I am not a mugger! I'm doing this because we need to!" I retort, trying to find some identification on the ninja's person. What the hell? The piercing she had on her nose was actually a sticker. "Second, we are pretty far from the Shadow of the Wind Ville and it's not like we'll get caught. This weirdo was at the beach late at night writing angsty poetry in a palm tree while contemplating tao…I don't think people want to watch out for her," I pick up one of the fallen pieces of paper that fell out of her when I knocked her out.

"I stoped the criw of peerats wit my pwnsome strangth. But for somraison, everyichi was jealish sand ttold me to shut up so Oni-san bet them up and then we went to were Tighton sensei was and complan. He was jelious too. No sugoi at all. I frown loudly while I eat gohan diner and are you really fucking serious?" I stop reading the piece of crap in my hand. "Is this her fucking diary? That's it, we're leaving her here and finding someone else." I try to leave but Lib and gets in my way.

"We aren't going to have another chance like this, Butterbrain. You made up the plan, didn't you? Steal a ninja's identity, grab a boat, send Lilka and Patch home and then tear the island apart sparing no one. Lilka and Patch are fine now but someone will find out where we've been hiding eventually," Lib scolds. "Also, I'm not spending any more time with you in that tree. No."

"…Fine." I huff, going back to the prone ninja's body to get her belongings. Hey look, it's a swan shaped birthmark…nope, just a fake tattoo.

"Here we go," I wave around a few pieces of paper with her information on it. "So let's take a look at this monstrosity. Her name is Yumiko, as she's been telling her imaginary friends, and she's sixteen years old. I'm going to stop there and keep my sanity, thank you very much."

"What if you miss something?" Lib asks, flying closer to the papers.

"Like what? That she can spontaneously heal the broken hearts of all evil men and kiwis? I think we can live without that little piece of info." I hastily shove the papers into my belt pouch.

"You need to put on her clothes."

"I know I know, just give me a moment," I examine Yumiko, checking her size and features. She was slightly taller than me but we share similar facial features. Unless someone really looked at me hard, no one would tell the difference. Then again, I'm sure everyone averts their eyes when she comes by either out of shame or embarrassment. But then there's…

"You're chest isn't as fat as hers." Lib states bluntly.

"That might be a problem…wait a minute…they look kinda lumpy," I note just as a crumpled up piece of paper pops out of her chest. Tentatively, I pick the ball up and smooth it out. "What do you know, it's an examination paper. It has a lot of red marks so I guess she's a dumbass."

"You're both starting to look very similar, Butterbrain." Lib snickers.

"You can shut the fuck up or I will out and start talking to unicorns."

"Stuff some of those papers in your chest," Libérta ignores me. "You need to stuff a lot in your chest if you want to look like her."

"No," I say, readjusting the top I stole. "I'm sure her friends will think that she just forgot them today. Does someone like this have any friends?"

"But you still need the pigtails. At the least do that."

"Okay okay, I'll put them on," I grumble, jerking the ninja's hair ties off and tying high pig tails in my own. My hair was just barely long enough to make them. "How do I look?"

"Awful."

"That's great." I say, monotone and sagging. "You know what, screw the pigtails," I pull them off. "I'll think up something."

"Whatever you say. But what about the ninja?" He flies down and sits next to the ninja who was mumbling something about getting her animal friends to help her.

"I think she can fit it my bag," I kneel beside her and start pushing her head into my bag. "If she wakes us then we'll just knock her out again." I continue, struggling with her limp limbs.

"What if she dies?" Lib asks, grabbing her leg with his jaws trying to help me out. It might leave a mark.

"Then I guess she'll be dead…is what I'd like to say but I promised a long time ago that I won't kill any humans unless I'm being directly threatened," I sigh, pushing the ninja's hips into my bag. Now we just had to push her legs in. "But we don't need to be too careful. She did mention that she was "inversable" and all." I snicker as Libérta and I push the rest of her in.

"Do you think Patch and Lilka will be okay?" Lib asks as I get back to my feet.

"They'll be fine for now back at the shore. The Shadow of the Wind village was closer than Osprey but I don't think they'll be looking for us since we ended up so close to the pirate base," I say, cracking my knuckles. "Now let's get going. Yumiko said that she was going to be late for a mission so we should at the least show up and pick up some useful info." I continue down the walkway but Lib tugs on my sleeve.

"Not with the gloves. You need to take them off." Lib states.

"What? I…that's not a good idea," I mutter, looking down nervously at my hands. For sure someone's going to ask where Yumiko got her gloves. After Alison remade them for the third time, the swirling white embroidery became too flashy and eye catching.

"Someone will figure out eventually. You wear them all the time and you aren't exactly unknown anymore." Lib goes on like he's just read my mind. "What's the big deal about your gloves anyway?" He asks, hovering back.

"I'll tell you some other time but if I take off my gloves, I won't be able to touch anyone. How am I supposed to explain that?" I clasp my hands together thinking of all the terrible outcomes. All it took was just a brush.

"You can make something up on the way. Since it'll be too noticeable for me to transform and because I'll probably crash into the sea if we try, this is are only other option. Come on, it'll be fine. I'll eat the people who find out."

"Will you?"

"Aren't you supposed to get angry and tell me that eating people is bad?"

"No. Not if the humans attack first," I shake my head, lifting the cloth of the glove off of my wrist, swallowing before sliding both off. "Here," I offer them to Lib. "Take them and hide in my bag. If Yumiko wakes up then just knock her out again."

"Fine," He takes the gloves into his jaws and opens my bag before diving in himself. "Let's go, Butterbrain. Revenge awaits." He announces, peering out of my bag.

"Revenge awaits," I say, giddy as I sprint in the direction of the Shadow of the Wind Village.

* * *

 

"Ouch!" I crash into something soft and fall on my back into a banzai plant.

"Watch where you're going!" A voice from nowhere scolds me. I look around for the source of the voice but there's no one. There is literally no one around or maybe I just can't see them.

But The Shadow of the Wind Village was pretty, I'll give'em that. But for a village of ninjas, it seems very conspicuous.

When I was following the directions that Lilka showed me, I could see their pagodas from afar as they towered above the trees and bamboo stalks. Their curved tiled roofs emphasized by the moon appearing like it was just behind them. The windows were flickering with light and I could see shadows moving around behind them. Dark shapes fly across the roofs, leaping across such huge gaps between buildings. It was awe inspiring I suppose. When I first stepped into the Village, I noticed how uniform the gardens and streets were. The potted banzai trees, all trimmed to perfection, were placed around the village and stone lanterns lined the main road. Tall red Torii gates stood by buildings and they sort of reminded me of the one that was near the place I was created.

It looked completely empty though. I thought that the whole place was deserted until I ran into the first invisible ninja and landed on my ass. Same with the second. Now the third had just knocked me into a plant and I wasn't sure if I should feel frustrated or exposed because I was the only one who wasn't invisible.

"Nice going, Butterbrain," Lib whispers dryly. "You're the best spy. I'm not even kidding. I mean look at you, bumbling around like an idiot. You're the best ninja, claws down." He continues, voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Shut up," I grumble, picking the leaves out of my hair. It feels strange almost. It's been years since I've had my gloves off for this long. The smooth texture of the leaves and the feel of my own strands of hair feel new and strange in a way.

"Yumiko! Get your head out of the clouds," A slim ninja lands beside me, hardly making a sound. He pulls back his black scarf and smiles at me. He was pleasant to look at; his hair was tied back in a short ponytail, his smile was nearing cheshire-cat like and his hazel eyes gave me a once over. "What happened to the pigtails? I thought you told me that they gave you super powers." Alright, time to ham it up.

"Ha Ha Ha Ha," I leap to my feet, puff my chest up and cross my arms. "I don't need such hindrances. FuFuFu, don't you see?" I point to my shortened hair. "I cut them off thus severing my ties to my dark and troubled past." I glance at him to gauge his reaction and he seems to buy it.

"Sure, whatever you say, Yumiko," He sighs but keeps his smile. "Now let's head off. Being late will get us in even more trouble than we're already in." He turns and bends his legs, ready to leap on to the nearest roof.

"W-wait!" I stutter just as he's about to jump. "I'm…feeling like we should take a walk today. Just to be different!" I stutter out disjointedly. "Isn't that right…ah, what's your name." Fuck, I said that out loud.

"Really?" The ninja turns around abruptly, an incredulous look on his face. Shit Shit Shit! "I know we just met yesterday but you already forgot my name?" Oh.

"Refresh my memory?" I suggest, willing myself to relax and look bubbly.

"Tomoe Atamanai," He reintroduces himself, bowing low.

"…Are you serious? I must have heard you wrong. Tomoe Atamanai?" I repeat what I heard. That can't be his last name. That's the worst last name I've ever heard. Also Tomoe seems like a very feminine name not that it was worse than Atamanai because seriously?

"Don't worry, I get that a lot. Now clear your head and we'll walk. That's what you want right?"

"Uh…Yes! That's exactly what I want!" I nod fervently. "Uh…you lead!"

"Whatever you say Yumi." He laughs quietly before he starts walking, slowing his pace so I could keep up. I make the best impression of Yumiko's running, skipping every three steps and waving my arms in some cutesy way.

"You sure seem peppy today." He notes, smoothing his blackish brownish hair; it was somewhere in between.

"Maybe I am," I answer. Crap, should I tone it down?

"But this is your first mission assignment so that makes sense. It must be hard to keep your head on your shoulders if you're this excited," He nods. "Sorry that it was ruined by dummy Hideyoshi."

"Nothing I can't overcome. I don't feel sadness." I reply, hoping I was in character. But who is he talking about?

"You know, you were right. Walking was more convenient; we weren't even that far away." He stops in front of one of the more imposing pagodas.

It was much taller and more detailed than the others and was built like a fortress. The doors open for us and I follow Tomoe in as he leads me to one of the tatami room on the first floor. He slides the door open to a mostly empty room save for five small mats facing a wall with a scroll hanging on it. Candles were placed at the four corners of the room.

"Hmmmm, they aren't here yet," Tomoe says, leaning into the room and glancing around. "Wait in here. I'll go look for them." He wanders down the hall, leaving me behind to examine the room.

"Libérta, we made it in but I don't see anything important and I only saw one boat in the dock on our way here." I whisper to him when he pokes his head out of my bag. The bag was still attached to my belt that I wore under Yumiko's clothing.

"Should we have gone to Osprey?"

"It would have longer to get there than the Village and I can fit in here better than I can fit in with the Pirates. I can't talk like a pirate for shit. "Maybe they have smaller ones in storage. We'll look for them after we-"

"Hey, did you hear?" I clamp a hand over my mouth when I hear soft footsteps from outside. Two ninjas were wandering by and luckily for me, they were gossiping. "Hideyoshi came back from his mission in Falconreach." The words make my heart jump and I get closer to the wall to listen attentively.

"He came back from information gathering?" The other one says.

"Yes. Apparently he uncovered a pirates attempt at getting the heroes to help him take us out."

"What? Really?"

"He disguised himself as a carriage driver and followed the pirate and one of the heroes that he was going to hire to start a war. Then when they were about to dock on Osprey, Hideyoshi immobilized their captain and steered it to the Village instead. There, he and his friends ambushed them and defeated them soundly." That sounds like bullshit.

"And after?"

"One of the pirate's friends cast a spell that launched the ship out to sea. Hideyoshi and the others escaped before the ship ripped itself apart and perhaps killing the pirate and his friends. But not before Hideyoshi and everyone hit their heads and got concussions."

"All of them did? How's that possible?"

"I don't know but they all had problems seeing correctly and their memories are a tiny bit fuzzy. There's enough proof out on shore to prove their story though so we can't discredit that. Hideyoshi just came out of medical leave early the other day even when the doctors told him he wasn't fully recovered. He wouldn't take no for an answer. After him, the others followed. Now he's suggesting that we invade Falconreach before they attack us but that'll take a few weeks of tactical planning for a place as dangerous as Falconreach."

"That's amazing. I suppose Hideyoshi's going to be rewarded."

"Oh he'll be rewarded all right. He'll be rewarded with-"

Just as the ninja was about to finish his sentence, I heard another group of people coming down the hall. The ninjas move down the hall to get out of their way. I curse internally and take a deep breath in to stop the shaking in my shoulders.

Now the stakes have rose. These damn ninjas might attack Falconreach and if they're going to do that because of what that ninja, Hideyoshi now, had told them then the pirates are probably planning the same thing. I need to find some way of telling everyone back home!

The door slides open and I quickly bow once I take a see who it was. A tall man with a gold helmet and red scarf comes in followed by four others including Tomoe. It seems natural to bow to him and I can tell that he's dangerous. His red eyes regard me before nodding and stepping aside. The moment he does, I had to keep myself from lunging at the person behind him. Arrogant in the worst way and mouth set in a straight line; the moment he sees me I was afraid that he might have recognized me. Instead, Hideyoshi regards me stoically before kneeling on one of the mats. The others enter the room and I begin to recognize the body shapes of the ninjas that had started this whole mess in the first place. Hideyoshi was the carriage driver, the big guy was the one who tried negotiating, Tomoe was the one who grabbed Lilka and the gawky one who wouldn't stop fidgeting was the one who grabbed Patch.

Could I take them all out right here? No. Bad idea. I'll get swarmed by ninjas and either get killed or do  _that_. Either one leads to a terrible end and didn't the entire village so I'll wait it out for now.

The others kneel on the mats with both knees on the ground. I copy their actions and kneel on the empty mat next to Hideyoshi. All of them, though they were apparently rewarded for their actions, seem on edge.

The ninja with the golden helmet and red scarf walks to the front of the room and gazes down on the five of us gravely. The gaze of his red irises makes me gulp. He was like some sort of burly war god dressed in golden armor. Beside the fact that wearing golden armor can make you a walking target it the dark and you might as well be wearing an orange jumpsuit or something, he looks like a leader.

"Yamashita, Mitsuhide, Atamanai, Tokugawa," He addresses each of our family names. How come he only said four? "I assume that you all know why you are here?"

"Yes, Thyton." The four of them answer solemnly with me answering about a second behind them.

"Then I will also assume that you will stay on task. You will take Yumiko with you and help man the Kessel, our newly made ship. I expect you to follow your leader's orders." His gaze was fierce and overwhelming. He seems so strict. "Any objections?"

"No." I say along with the others. From the corner of my eye, Tomoe flashes me a sympathetic look. Hideyoshi growls his answer and the larger ninja sitting behind him glares at the back of his head. The lanky one keeps his stare on Thyton but his lip quivers a bit.

"Good, I expect all of you to do the same." He nods. What is he talking about? Fuck, I'm so lost. "The ship is a prototype that needs testing. Enchanted with our wind magic, it's able to sail faster than any other ship ever built. Normally, the Kessel is able to be manned by one person, however, we are carrying important cargo on the ship. It needs to be delivered as soon as possible and needs to be protected," He paces around us, his shadow flickering across the wall. "As it was recently…confiscated from the pirates, they will most likely pursue. The five of you will assist the captain of the vessel if you are boarded by the enemy. You will repel them. No more, no less."

"Yes." Everyone bows their heads to Thyton. He regards us for a moment with his stony eyes.

"Yumiko!" He addresses me suddenly and I almost jump.

"Uuuu….Yeah?" What did I do?

"No trouble this time." He states, glaring at me.

"No. No trouble at all!" I reply quickly. He pauses before he speaks again and I think he may have winked. I'm not sure, it could have just been a flickering of a shadow caused by one of the candles but it's hard to tell with that helmet of his. I can only make out his crimson eyes.

"Good. I expect this to be done without any mishaps. Dismissed."

All together, the ninjas rise with me lagging behind by a few seconds. They file out of the room and I come out last, trying to keep up with the others without looking like I wanted to rip them apart. As we step out through the double doors in silence and begin to head to the dock, I begin to hatch a plan in my head.

Eric would be proud.

"So," Tomoe falls back to walk side by side with me. "Yumiko, are you excited?" He asks, smiling pleasantly and reaches out to touch my shoulder. I had to focus to keep myself from recoiling in disgust.

"Well, duh," I force the enthusiasm. "Since I'm here, we'll get through this mission no problem."

"Yumiko, be quiet. No one's in the mood to hear you talk right now." The larger built ninja growls, irritated.

"No one's ever in the mood," The lankier one sneers.

"Awwww, don't mind them. Heiji's got a headache and Ennosoke's always been a pain in the neck," Tomoe assures me, feeling the back of his neck. "Not that he needs any help."

"The both of you can shut your mouths," The jerk, Ennosoke I suppose, turns and makes a crude gesture at us. If I wasn't trying to act like a bimbo high on pixie dust, I would have returned the favor.

Ennosoke, the guy who had grabbed Patch back on the ship, didn't seem to have much muscle structure or the body type of a well-trained ninja. He was thin but gawky and had freckles near his nose that made him look childish. He's wearing lopsided spectacles which surprised me the first time I saw them. Not only that but he had bright pink irises and a foul attitude to go with them. He's a hot shot now but his behavior on the ship and in front of Thyton makes him seem like a bit of a scaredy-cat.

"This is a waste of my time," The larger ninja groans, glowering at Hideyoshi as he walks on resolute.

"What makes your time more important than ours?" Ennosoke spits, looking like he really wanted to throw a punch at Heiji. That's probably his name.

"No need to go and lose your head over it." Tomoe says. He could be talking to either of them or even both.

Heiji looks like him with frustration but shrugs it off when it's evident that arguing with Ennosoke wasn't worth the effort.

Heiji looks like he'll be trouble; I might need to deal with him first. Not only does he have girth and strength but so far he seems to be the smartest and most level headed. The top half of his face was concealed by the mask he wore when he attacked me and my friends. The others had ditched their masks for some reason or another but even if he did have it on, it was easy to tell that he was glaring daggers at the back of Hideyoshi's head. The way Heiji's staring him, he might just kill Hideyoshi before I do.

Speaking of ol Yoshi over here. He hasn't said a word since we left the building. He's a few paces ahead of us and pays no attention to our conversation and eventually it dies out as we near the dark docks.

We walk in a tense silence as we near the Kessel; a moderately large ship floating by the port. Another ninja was waiting for us by the Kessel. The five of us speed up our pace to hurry towards him as the ninja leaps on to the boat. Ennosoke leaps on first, then Heiji and Tomoe glances back at me briefly before leaping on as well. Shit, I don't know how to jump like that.

"Yumiko? Yumiko?" He has to repeat himself to get my attention.

"Huh?"

"You've been quiet," Hideyoshi states, narrowing his deep blue eyes. "Is there something wrong?" Shit, think of something and fast!

"I'm feeling excited and it's really hard to come up with words," I make up an excuse. His stoic expression doesn't change and I begin to worry.

"Liar." He states simply. My heart slams against my ribcage and I was about reach for the weapons in my belt but I stop when he sighs and softens his gaze. "You look exhausted. Have you been staying up late again?"

"Uh…maybe?" I clasp my hands behind my back to fake embarrassment. "I'm a little bit sore too." I add in absentmindedly.

"You've been training?" He asks, raising a brow. "That's new."

"Shi…Um, no…Like I need training." I scoff, trying to wave it away. Damn, I keep forgetting that she's full of herself.

"If you say so," He says before suddenly hugging me around the waist.

"What are you doing?" I ask, stopping myself from punching him in the face. Instead, I realize that he has a strong resemblance to Yumiko and myself. Now that I think about it, maybe Thyton only addressed four family names because two of us were siblings. Namely me and Yoshi here.

"You're tired. At least let me get you on the ship before you break something." He says and I nod hesitantly. He tightens his grip around me and leaps up towards the Kessel's deck. I felt his muscles bunch up and his knees bend before he leapt. I want to learn how to jump like these guys. Maybe I can ask my dear brother Hideyoshi to refresh my memory.

Having my dear  _Oni-san_ around will make this very interesting. What a happy coincidence this is.

…

_"Are we far enough, do you think?"_

_"I'm sure we are but that was close. You saw them right? Thyton with Hideyoshi and his group?"_

_"Yeah but you were saying?"_

_"Right, so he and his group were rewarded with…wait for it."_

" _What?"_

_"A big fat demotion, that's what."_

_"Eh? Why?"_

_"Guess who the pirate was. Guess who his friends were."_

_"Uh…enlighten me?"_

_"A pink haired elf girl from Aika was with them. She regularly ferries travelers here and back. Patch, the pirate barber who left Osprey because he didn't really want to be a part of the whole conflict anymore was with them too. How do I know that? Because I visited Falconreach during the undead war. He cut my hair for me and it's a pretty good haircut if I do say so myself. I didn't tell him that I was from the Shadow of the Wind Village but I was still a ninja and he was pretty cool with that. And then there's that one. The one with the red cape and white armor. She had a baby dragon with her."_

_"Are you kidding me? No way. The hydra slayer, hero of Falconreach and an Elite Knight of Swordhaven?"_

_"The very one. Since Hideyoshi got a bad head injury, he was fuzzy on the details of her appearance but her clothes stuck out."_

_"D-did they really get killed?"_

_"We hope not. Hideyoshi said that they were planning to attack the Village but honestly, let's use logic here. Why in the world would heroes of Falconreach or King Alteon want to wage war with us? In fact, why would they even agree with pirates of all people?"_

_"Hideyoshi was being paranoid again? He was doing so well too."_

_"He messed up big time. If Falconreach and Swordhaven had no reason to attack, they sure do now. A few of ours might have just murdered three innocents for no reason and all three of them were…are prominent figures in their towns."_

_"Us being in trouble with Swordhaven is one thing but with Falconreach too?"_

_"The best thing we can hope for is that the others can find Patch, the hero and that elf. I'm sure that a little water won't hurt them but they, according to Hideyoshi, shot off towards Osprey. A search and rescue group was ordered to go look for them and bring them back safely. Hopefully they aren't too angry."_

_"And what about Hideyoshi and his friends?"_

_"We recently got a hold of cargo that was meant to be taken to Swordhaven but was stolen by the pirates instead. We were thinking of selling them and keeping them away from the pirates but now we have to send them as fast as we can to Swordhaven with an apology. A reluctant one from Hideyoshi and co."_

_"I'm surprised. Is that the worst he can get?"_

_"A demotion and a forced apology are all that Thyton can do to him knowing that he's one of the Yamashita family's children. With his clan and the clans of his friends, Thyton doesn't have much choice. What I'm telling you is supposed to be a secret so we don't smear their names. I've never seen Thyton so angry and frustrated before."_

_"But at least there won't be a war, right? The plan seems sound and I've heard stories about Alteon the Balanced. He'll hear us out."_

_"I hope so but the war isn't the only thing we might have to worry about."_

_"What do you mean?"_

_"Keep this and everything else on the down-low. An intruder was seen recently around the ruins of Kordana. Thyton and some others are investigating further into the matter but that's all I know. They're keeping the information secret until we know that the villagers won't react in total panic."_

_"Do you think this will blow over?"_

_"We'll see."_

…

"We're going really fast," I comment, clutching the railing of the Kessel. The scenery was going by so fast; it was all a blur. If I was going to act, it had to be now. Wherever this ship is going, I have to stop it without getting caught. But if we do stop, we're going to have to slow the fuck down. If we don't, suddenly stopping will make inertia fling us across the country.

"No duh," Ennosoke leers at me as he walks by slowly. What a jackass.

Heiji was standing at the ship's starboard and I across from him on the other side of the ship as Ennosoke paces around the deck. Tomoe was chatting with the ninja that we were supposed to accompany. They were at the helm and the ninja Tomoe was talking to seems to be shaky. That wasn't a good sign for them. Tomoe glances back at me with an expression that resembles worry.

"Hmmmm."

"What are you thinking about?" And then there's this asshole. Hideyoshi has not left my side for a second. That head injury I gave him must have been really bad if he hasn't noticed that I wasn't his sister yet.

"I'm going below deck to er contemplate poetry and create gold out of thin air and other stuff," I make up another excuse hoping that it didn't sound half assed. He stares at me with the same blank expression but then reaches out with his hand and pats my head. I hide my repulsion and surprise as best as I could.

"You're quieter today," He comments, gently ruffling my hair. "Did something happen while I was away?"

"Uh…no I've been thinking about things. Stuff I guess. Some stuff. Stuff," I smile nervously. That was when the sides of his mouth tug up ever so lightly that you might have had to squint to see it.

"You're growing," He continues, monotone as always. Okay…I think Yumiko might have been taller than me but I guess his brain's still recovering.

"I suppose." I chew the inside of my cheek.

Hideyoshi nods and takes his hand off of my head before he leans on the railing, staring out into space.

"I'm sorry Thyton can't see a threat when it's right in front of his face. He must be blind," He sighs, looking off into the blurry distance. So he's in denial right now or he's full of himself like his lil sis. "I'll find a way to convince him and then we'll show him how skillful we are." Seeing that he was going off into his own little world where the ninjas of the village were apologizing at his feet as Falconreach and Swordhaven burns, I walk down below the deck through the hatch making sure no one was following.

"Hello? Anyone down here?" I call out only to be answered by the creaking of the ship as I climb down the ladder. "Hey, this is Yumiko here. No one? Okay Lib, want some fresh air?"

"It smells like dead people in your bag." Liberta coughs as he flies out of the bag under my clothes.

"Is she dead in there?" I ask, hopping down on the floor from the ladder as my eyes adjust to the darkness.

"No but she's bouncing off of all your stuff that you keep jumbled up in there. Did you know that a sneevil's been living in there pretty well for the past week?" He settles down a nearby barrel.

"Is he making any trouble down there?" I ask, opening a nearby crate. I found eye patches with a note on the lid that read "just in case." This is the important cargo they stole from the pirates?

"No, he eats the crumbs that you leave at the bottom of your bag and sucks on empty boxes. Other than that, he's quiet."

"Great, now will you help me look for something useful?" I open another crate to find a supply of peg legs. "They said something useful was here didn't they?"

"Define useful." Libérta pries the lid off of the barrel he was sitting on. "Lemons and a skull," He says before he swallows the skull. "Calcium is useful."

"Anything else?" I pry open another crate. This one's full of potions bottles filled with water labeled…water breathing potions? "Found something interesting," I say in a sing-song voice, raising one of the bottles in the air. "Come and look."

"What is it? I can't read human." Libérta flies close to the bottle and then down to the crate for inspection.

"The language is not called human. It's in English. And these are water breathing potions. They probably would've sold for a pretty penny," I swirl the contents of the bottle. It looks just like normal water. Without the label there would have been no way to tell that these were special. "These must be what they need to deliver."

"To who?" Libérta asks, gumming on one of the bottles.

"It doesn't matter. If they can't bring these to their intended destination, then they'll get in trouble and by extension the whole village. Besides, whoever gets the water breathing potions is going to have a huge advantage in sea battles and Falconreach is near water so this'll be good in the long run. In fact, let's give them to the good people of Falconreach."

"Alright then, Butterbrain. How do you suppose we get them off the ship? Not yet."

"We don't."

"Hmmm?"

"We're going to stuff the potions in my bag and knock everyone else out." I cross my arms and smirk. "And then we start the next bit of my plan."

"Wait. How are we going to knock out ninjas?" Lib stops me. "It's only you and me and five ninjas who probably know when someone's sneaking up on them. They've been trained for that."

"They aren't the only ones good at backstabbing but yeah, they're probably better than me. And that's why we-"

"Yumiko!" The hatch opens and light streams down below deck.

"Shit, jump back in." I whisper and Lib flies back into my bag. "Hey, what's going on Tomoe." I say his name like I was asking a question much to my dismay. I step into the sunlight as he hops down on the floor.

"What are you doing down here? Hideyoshi said you might be trying to clear your head." Tomoe approaches me. "Come to think of it, you aren't as how you say…um…out going as you usually are."

"I've been practicing you know. Just honing my skills down here," I chirp, trying to be peppy about it.

"Oh, what'cha working on?" Maybe I can help you get ahead," he offers, smiling from ear to ear.

"I need some help with that move."

"What move?"

"The one where you knock someone out with one blow without them knowing what hit them." I say quickly. "I just can't get that one right. It's that movement you know. That part with the thing you know."

"Sure," He nods, smile unwavering. "There are a few ways you can do this. You can strike the target's jaw which makes their jaw bone strike a nerve, like so," He punches a fist towards my jaw, stopping just as his knuckles touch my skin. "This causes the target to get knocked out. Another good way is a strong strike to the jugular," He makes another chopping motion to my neck. "Usually it'd be better to hold it in a choke hold but a really hard hit can also stun them enough for a hard hit to the head. You have to be quick and quiet."

"Like this?" I copy his chopping motion and stop just before my hand touches his neck.

"Smoother motion but you have the gist of it. Strange though, you're usually good at this."

"I am! I'm just…making sure that I know for sure." I try making up something. This acting thing isn't working out for me.

"Alrighty. It's better if you just ask me though. The others are asses when it comes to helping people but you already knew that."

"I sure do," I smile, looking over his shoulder. "Hi there, wait! What are you doing? Tomoe, watch out!" I yell and point over his shoulder.

"What is-" As he turns his head, I make a hard chop at his jugular and he staggers forward, eyes on the ground. For a second, I was worried that he wasn't going to go down but then he slowly sinks to his knees. I slide my sword out of my bag from under my clothes, ready to hit him over the head with the hilt but he slumps down on the ground, motionless. I guess that hit was enough.

Dragging his body behind a barrel, I grab a nearby length of rope and leave it beside Tomoe for later.

"Why does it always have to be you?" Heiji accuses someone from above deck. He was raising his voice louder and louder. "Come on. Say something." He demands and I hear the scuffle of feet from above. "Well?"

"Heiji! Let go of him this instant!" The elder ninja sailing the ship orders. A bout of silence follows and the ninja repeats himself. I hear Heiji grunt in frustration before I hear the stomping of feet going towards the hatch. I hide myself behind the ladder as Heiji climbs down. Good timing.

I was about to push the ladder over but he slips up and falls on the ground, head bouncing on the floorboards. He too lies motionless. Are these really ninjas?

"Doesn't matter," I answer myself out loud as I drag him behind the same barrel I left Tomoe. "Okay here we go," I clear my throat, once again standing behind the ladder. "Heiji! What are you doing? Stop! STOP!" I scream, hoping that everyone above could hear. "Someone help!"

"Yumiko!" I hear Hideyoshi call out to his sister. The moment I see his foot on one of the rungs, I push the ladder and he hits his head on the side of the hatch before tumbling to the ground. To add insult to injury, the ladder knocks him one on the forehead too.

"No, get away!" I continue yelling as I drag Hideyoshi's body away. "Why are you doing this, Heiji?"

"Go and help sort it out down there," I hear the ninja at the helm order Ennosoke.

"No way; this isn't my problem. Hey, Heiji! I always knew you were gonna lose it! I got your back you know that, right?"

"Mitsuhide, get down there and stop Tokugawa now! I can't leave the helm unattended. That's an order."

"Nuh uh, they're quiet now. I don't need to go down there." He makes up another excuse.

"Heiji, you monster, get your filthy hands off of him," I scream again with more emotion as I throw an empty barrel across the room, breaking it against a wall. "Ahhhh!"

"Go now!" The elder ninja tries again.

"Sounds like a lot of fun down there. I think they're just bonding with their fists."

"Fine, you want to be that way?" I mumble to myself as I drag an unconscious Tomoe out from behind the barrel. Grabbing him around the waist, I heave him up through the hatch and hear him land in a heap on deck.

"Mitsuhide Ennosoke, you will go and fix this now! Get down from the mast!"

"No! You can't make me!"

"Fine, you take the wheel and I'll go down there."

"I can work with that," I smirk, propping the ladder back up to where it was before. But this guy seems older and more experienced than these boys. I'll have to be more careful. "Lib, on my signal…"I begin whispering to Libérta who was peeking out from my bag.

"Tokugawa, whatever you're doing to them, you better stop right now!" The ninja gives us a warning before he leaps down.

Just as his feet touch the ground, Libérta breathes out a breath of icy wind, creating a sheet of ice on the floor. The ninja lands, slips up his footing and falls. Probably a little surprised, the ninja doesn't react as fast and I take that moment to rush out and slam the hilt of my sword on his head. He didn't see me coming.

There's only one left now and but I think the helm might be facing this way. Shit.

"I don't know how to sail this thing! Hurry up!" Ennosoke yelps from the wheel and I feel the ship lurching left and right.

I curse loudly and chop off a fraction of the length of rope I left by the barrel. Taking it in hand, I climb the ladder and peek up over the deck. Ennosoke was trying to keep the wheel straight but he was shaking and fidgeting. He was facing towards me and was too out in the open to surprise attack him. If I was just to confront him, he'd remember who knocked him out and I can't have Yumiko getting in trouble just yet.

"Where are you-"He turns, letting his hands fall from the wheel. What is he doing? As he turns, he trips over something and begins to tip forward, astonishment evident on his face. Taking my chance, I launch myself out of the hatch and jump straight towards him as he falls, moving around the wheel. Just before he hits the floor, I use the back of his head as a landing pad. I think I made a small crack in the deck.

"And that takes care of all of them," I whistle, proud of my work. "Out like a light," I prod the side of Ennosoke's head with my foot.

"You threw that guy really far," Libérta notes, flying out of my bag and down next to the limp person that Ennosoke tripped over. Tomoe was face down on the ground right behind the helm.

"I guess I did. Hmmm, I didn't think I could throw a guy that far. Also, why didn't they move his body after I threw him?" I ponder to myself and Tomoe's arm twitches.

"What are we going to do now?" Libérta gums at the back of Tomoe's head.

"Oh, uh give me a sec," I rush to the wheel. A compass was built on to the wheel's stand. "Okay, so we left the island and that means that we should do a full turn, head back until we can see shore again and then go south to get ourselves caught. Let's try it out." I say as I tip the wheel to the right a teensy bit.

Immediately, the Kessel makes a hard right turn and Libérta bites down on my shoulder to keep from getting flung away. Anything that wasn't tied down on the ship flies across the deck, including the prone bodies of the other ninjas, and either are thrown off the boat or slam into the railing. They all probably have at least five concussions now.

As for me, I was hanging on to the wheel for dear life which also means that I was also tilting the wheel making the ship go around in a high speed circle of pain and misery. The boat speeds around like a nightmarish tilt ta whirl except that I've been on a nightmarish tilt ta whirl and that was much more enjoyable. I think the ship was creating a whirlpool.

"Make it stop!" Libérta screeches, his jaw still set on my shoulder.

My fingers slip off the wheel and I fly back and both Lib and I are hurled back into the mast. Thankfully the ship had straightened itself out and we slide down the mast, hurting everywhere.

"But I just tipped it," I try standing up, wobbly and seeing double. "You saw me right?" Lib tries to get to his feet, obviously seeing stars. He looks straight at me and promptly throws up. "That's a yes?" He gives me an angry glare as he dry heaves a piece of skull out of his throat.

Taking my dizziness in stride, I try walking towards the wheel to check the compass, swaying side to side as I went. Tomoe and Ennosoke were lying by the rails and Hideyoshi, Heiji and that other ninja were probably buried under barrels and crates below deck. If it didn't feel like my brain was going to shoot out of my nose, I would've laughed.

"Looks like I got lucky. We're going the right direction," I gurgle, tapping the compass. "Hey, Lib. Could you keep the wheel straight while I go down and tie these assholes up? I gotta go get changed into my armor too."

"Why the armor?" He flies over to me, dropping on the floor once before flying up again.

"I need to look my best for the next part of the plan."

…

"Lib, they're coming. Go hide in my bag." Lib nods his head and flies into my bag attached to my belt which was now clearly displayed around my waist. I was wearing my full white armor now, minus the cape and gloves of course.

It was still the dead of the night but I could see their flag blown back in the wind. I've managed to get the Kessel to a complete stop just right outside of Osprey Cove. Just by looking at their boat, or war ship to be more descriptive, and the fact that only one's coming out to "greet" me, the big cheese of the pirate town must want a one on one.

The large ship sails forth and slides up beside the Kessel. Compared to that ship, the Kessel feels more like a rundown dinghy. A throng of pirates, weathered by storms and sea battles, swing on to the ship from their mast or cross the plank they've connected to the Kessel. A myriad of pistols, cutlasses and greedy eyes surround me and one man steps forward.

Scarred and proud of it, the tall black bearded man wearing a red coat and black captain's hat comes nearer, his first mate following after him. Besides the fact that this guy looks like something you get after slamming your face into a hot iron a couple of times, his presence feels powerful and the others look at him for the go ahead.

To be honest, I feel nervous but at the same time excited. Tomoe, Ennosoke, Hideyoshi and that-other-ninja-with-an-unimportant-name (and what a sucky name that was) were tied around the mast while Heiji was snoozing in my bag with Yumiko. Once again decked out in my shining white armor with one foot on a crate of water breathing potions, I smirk.

"Ahoy there," I wink at the captain. "We haven't met before I'm sure but I think we share a common hatred of ninjas. They took something from you and I took it back to give it back to you and your fine men. Whatever pirate code you all go by, I'm sure that my proposition along with some info on the ninjas are something that interests you. And the best thing about it all? My services are free…as long as the ninjas suffer of course. What do you say, Captain?" I bow with a flourish.

He made no hesitation to show his blackened teeth in a greedy smile, gold tooth glinting in the moonlight.

He was smiling at the person who would bring him and his pirate scum their doom.

* * *

 

**Poor Timing: Mini Side of A**

**"** Pffft...mmmmm...he...hehehehehehe," I start giggling as I water my sister's plants for her. Buds were poking out of the patch of soil behind our house. I wonder what Beathan or even Virelai would think.

"Something funny?" Ash asks, hobbling up behind me still using his crutch.

"Actually, I'm not sure what. I just felt like laughing all of a sudden. It's weird." I say, brushing the dirt from my skirts.

"Have you heard from Ty yet?" The young boy asks me and I shake my head as I pat the soil around one of the sprouts.

"I should have. I even gave her the communication medium to call me. Maybe she just forgot. Oh well, I'm sure she's having fun with everyone," I shrug. "Are the supplies ready for the party tonight?"

"Yup, the exploding sledgehammers are all ready to go...but are you sure it'll be safe?"

"No. Not at all. But it's fun and that's what matters. Now let's get the carriage set up and bring them to Falconreach before the heroes get bored of waiting."


	22. Out of Place

"Captain, you can't be serious," His first mate steps forward, eyeing me with the one eye that he had left.

He's suspicious with good reason. Some random adventurer shows up right on your doorstep with gifts of hostages and valuable cargo wanting to give them to you and more for free. Well not for free but the stuff in exchange for the destruction of your worst enemy sounds a no brainer or a big fucking trap. The Captain seems to think it's the former rather than the latter. I guess I really am convincing.

"Now now, Rhubarb. Ye don't go refusing lady fortune when she be droppin her bounty right on yer lap," The Captain chortles heartily, wrinkling the scar under his left eye. "But lass, humor him. Show'em that ye mean what ye mean."

"How do we know you aren't a ninja in disguise. For all we know, ye have your fellow ninja scum hidden in the shadows like cowards," The man, Rhubarb, spits with contempt. Every other pirate on board does the same and now the deck is covered with spit. Gross.

"Hmmmmm," I tap my chin in thought. Well, eventually I was going to do something like this but now is an okay time too. "I can just kill one off if you want me to prove myself," I offer them. "It might lower the amount of gold you might get with less hostages but if it makes you feel more secure." I unsheathe my sword. "Which one is it gonna be?" I smile gleefully, tipping up Ennosoke's chin with the tip of my sword. He was still passed out and a bump was starting to swell on his noggin. "Well, which one?" I shout out to the captain's crew.

A wave of loud enthusiastic suggestions erupts from the crew yelling recommendations such as "that rat!" or "The ugly one!"

"Come on, I can't hear you!" I encourage them. The raucous cheering gets louder and the captain's smile was getting even wider. I could see all of his gross teeth. Obviously it was working and I was getting on their good side. "This one?" I ask them, poking at Tomoe's neck. A thunderous flood of cheering and applause fill the air. I'd have picked Hideyoshi but maybe I'll save that for later. I want to see what kind of expression he'll have when his own little sister tries to do him in. "Why not!" I raise my sword above his head, preparing to lop his head off. Oddly fitting for Tomoe. "Count down with me, guys! Five! Four! Three! Two!" The other pirates join in and the captain throws his head back in laughter.

These people are disgusting.

"One!" I yell, slashing down on his exposed neck. Just as I was about to cut off his head, a cutlass deflects my sword and it almost flies out of my hands. I stagger back, surprised to see that it was the first mate that had stopped me. "I thought you wanted me to prove myself."

"You proved yourself quite enough," Rhubarb scowls at me and the rest of the pirates go silent. My eyes dart around the ship to find that the crew were nervous, looking to Rhubarb and their captain. When their eyes fell on their captain, I saw fear but when they look to the first mate, I see flickers of worry for him. Interesting.

"Well, I guess that's a good idea. More hostages mean more money," I shrug as I sheathe my blade. "Is that the correct manner of thinking, captain?"

"I don't remember ordering you to stop the lass," The captain steps forward and I feel the crew make a collective breath in. "I didn't think ye be the squeamish type."

Both men stare at each other levelly. Rhubarb's expression was unreadable and the captain of the crew is still wearing a crooked smile. Everything was still for a moment before Rhubarb finally speaks.

"Tis obvious she was serious; I was just thinking about making more gold from more…hostages," He says with contempt.

"That's what I said," I comment off handedly, trying to get on all of the pirates good sides.

"Harharhar, gold's the most important thing to a pirate so there be no arguing there," He marches over to me, wooden peg leg thumping on the ground. "Where do ye come from, lass? Have ye heard of us?"

"I come from across the sea. I'm a bit new to these parts so would you enlightening me?" I ask, putting my hands on my hips and trying to sound suave.

"My name be Captain Blackberry but you may just call me Captain," Blackberry; what an oddly delicious sounding name for someone who looks like he stepped out of a garburator. Do they even have those in Lore?

"This be me pride and joy, The Red Betty. She be the most feared ship on the eight known seas of Lore," He presents his huge ship and the crew members cheer. With its grand mast, detailed figurehead of a siren screaming in fear and the red paint detailing the rails and hull, everything about the ship screamed "I'm a gigantic asshole. Fear me."

"Would ye liked to be welcomed aboard?" He smiles wickedly. I wish he would stop doing that. His teeth are scarier than the rest of him combined.

"It would be a pleasure," I smile and mock curtsy to him, hiding my revulsion and displeasure. "The rest of the water breathing potions are below this deck and keep the ship. The ninjas claim that it's the fastest ship ever built with the help of their ninja magic or whatever. Do what you please with it. Use it against the ninjas and watch them suffer or burn in front of them. Whatever makes them suffer more, it's up to you, Captain." I stress the last part.

"Good lass. I like the way ye think," Blackberry chuckles. "Take the ninjas to the brig," He turns and orders one of his pirates. With a swift "Aye Aye," the pirate and a few others begin gathering up the ninjas. He looks sort of familiar though.

"What be your name, lass," Blackberry inquires, grin showing off his gross teeth again.

"Josephine." I state without even thinking about it. I wonder why I decided to use my mother's name. Well, she was the best at what she did so I guess that using her name would bring some luck.

"Fine name for a lass. Now, follow me. I don't think ye be wantin' to stay on the deck of a ninja ship for much longer." He turns his back and begins walking back towards his ship. I follow after him with Rhubarb right behind me. I can feel his stare bore into my back. He still doesn't like me I guess.

I follow Blackberry across the plank connecting the ships and hop on to the Red Betty. The deck was spacious and other pirates were returning and untying ropes, re-swabbing the deck and other…pirate things. The ninjas were being dragged below deck.

But there's something about this ship. It feels different being here then it was on the Kessel. It wasn't the change in scenery but something about the air is different. It's probably just me.

"We be landin in Osprey soon, Lass. But before ye go on to shore, let's have a talk in me cabin. Just you and me." He leers at his first mate and Rhubarb goes on his way, taking the hint. Rhubarb goes to help the other pirates take the ninjas below deck to the brig. One had iron keys jangling from his belt. It was the familiar one. He no longer had his captain's hat and he was scratching at his eye-patch.

Everything is falling in place better than I expected. It's almost too easy.

Immediately, I feel a wave of uneasiness and my eyes dart back to Blackberry. We were right in front of the cabin door now and he was opening it. Standing aside, he motions me to go in first making a smile that made my stomach twist. Pirates don't hold doors open for other people. Did the pirates that tried to kill me before tell him about me?

"Umm, thanks captain," I say uneasily as I step through the door. I hear it close behind me and Blackberry walks around me to his desk. Maps and mapping tools were strewn across the top, a small chest of gold and gems sat in the corner and a comfy looking red velvet chair was placed behind the desk. Bookshelves stood at the back of his cabin, filled with perhaps records of some sort and lit lanterns hang around the room. Chests sitting below the desk were overflowing with gold but one in particular held scrolls. It was just a glimpse but I think there's kanji written on them.

"Take a seat," He pulls back the extravagant chair behind the desk. A plain wooden one was placed right in front of the desk and I comply.

"Now, what is there to discuss? Do you still have doubts about me?" I ask, crossing one leg over the other. The door's right behind me and if he has a pistol, I'm sure the gun isn't enchanted or strong enough to do too much damage if I do get hit.

"Quite the opposite, lass," He chortles, unfolding one of the maps on his deck. "I've been waiting for one of you to come along."

"One of us? Do you mean adventurers?" The tension I had in my shoulders relaxes. "What do you need one of us for?"

"Have a look here," he says, opening a drawer and taking out a bound and worn book. He throws is on the desk and I lean forward to get a look. I could barely make out the tiny lettering on the cover. It read "Captain Oliver Crossbone."

"Is this a journal?" I ask, picking up the book and flipping through the pages. I take my time examining each yellow and cracked page. The words were barely recognizable and faded sketches of strangely metallic looking walls, overgrown futuristic halls and monsters that dare I say resembled robots were on almost every page. "This…" I wanted to say that designs such as these were out of place in Lore but that might cause suspicion. "All of this is strange. I've never seen anything like these around here. What are you showing me?"

"That be the journal of the pirate Captain Crossbone and that be his sketches o'the Ruins of Kordana; a place he discovered on his first came to Sho Nuff," He explains eagerly. "I need a daring adventurer rarin' to go in."

"Why does it need to be an adventurer?" I ask curiously, still flipping through the pages. "Don't you have your crew?"

"None of me men were able to come back alive on in one piece. You, on the other hand, I think you'll make it all the way through. With what ye did there, bangin' up a team of filthy ninjas, stealing a boat and taking it all the way here on yer own; that takes guts," He laughs. "Think of this as a reward for bringing back me stolen goods and more."

"Hmmmm, why exactly do you want me to go in and why should I?" I close the journal and setting it on the desk before leaning back on the chair, crossing my arms.

"Captain Crossbones mentions in his journal that the Wind Pearl's hidden in the Ruins. We've been fighting with the ninjas for years over the Wind Pearl. They say it be their Jewel of the Four Winds but they know nothing," He slams his fist on his desk, causing some of the items on top to rattle or fall on the floor. He takes no notice and continues. "If we pirates had the Pearl, we could control the winds of all the seas. Our ships would be unstoppable and our enemies obliterated. That includes the bilge rat ninjas. Ye see what I be gettin' at, lass?"

"I get the Pearl for you and that means every last ninja's going to be…obliterated you say? Poof? Just like that?" I let wonder seep into my voice.

"Poof," He repeats, grinning wider than ever. "Do we have a deal?"

This is almost too good to be true. With something like that, dealing with both the ninjas and the pirates would be a cinch. Plus, if I give the orb over to my local guardians or the heroes of Falconreach, we'll become much much stronger.

"Done. I'll get right on it. This Wind Pearl is as good as yours," I lie, smiling craftily as I stand. "But may I ask for another item in return?"

"What would that be?"

"I need a ship or boat. Whatever can get me around. My old one can't be used thanks to those ninjas. And it was such a good ship too." I sigh, shaking my head. I'll send Lilka and Patch home first. It probably won't be a good idea to have them around for what I'm planning.

"I be feelin' generous today. I'll have Rhubarb give ye one and show ye where the Ruins be," he rises from his seat, readjusting his red captain's jacket. He steps towards the door and swings it open. "You there, the one swabbin' the deck. The other one. Bring me first mate over," He continues, walking out the door. Before I follow out after him, my eyes dart to the chest of scrolls underneath the desk again, noting where it was and that there was a window that can be opened in the captain's cabin.

"Yes, Captain?" I hear Rhubarb outside.

"I'll be back for you later," I whisper to myself, giving one last glance to the chest of scrolls before stepping out of the room.

"Give the lass one of me ships; a good one." He orders his first mate and Rhubarb's eye widens but otherwise he shows no other signs of surprise. Taking a better look at him, he seems sterner and calmer than Blackberry. "No complaints, Rhubarb. I be leavin' the rest to you. Miss Josephine here'll tell you what she be kindly doing fer us," he finishes before turning to face me. "I be expecting you back with the pearl soon." He smiles once more before putting a hand on my shoulder and pushes past me back to his cabin.

"Follow me," He says, a hint of annoyance in his voice. The ship was already docked at Osprey's port and I follow him off the boat. "You already know my name but let me give it to ye again to make sure," he starts as we walk down the dock. "I be Captain Blackberry's first mate Rhubarb. Captain Blackberry be the most feared pirate alive and his crew the most dangerous but I be the one that keep them in line," he stops and turns to me, eyes leery. "The pirates may fear the Captain but they respect me. Ask anyone on the seven seas, I may be tough but I also be fair," he sighs the last part. "You show up out of nowhere bearing gifts for a chance to work fer the Captain," I was about to protest but he stops me. "All of this just fer messin' with the ninjas? You may have me crew and captain charmed but I ain't convinced. What did the ninjas ever do to you?"

"No offense meant but I do think that it's a private matter," I state, looking up at him. He was much taller than me but I wasn't about to give in. "Let's just say that it's because a good friend of mine got hurt by them, they attempted to kill me and they'll soon attempt to invade my home which isn't really making it easy for me to like them." I nearly growl. It isn't making it any easier to like you lot either.

"…You have them eyes," He says after looking back at me carefully, his voice becoming lower. "The eyes of a killer," He clarifies when he notices my confusion. "It looks fine and grand on a pirate but fer a youngin' it…makes me sad to tell ye the truth."

"What?" I say to him completely bewildered. He doesn't say anymore and continues walking down the dock towards a small ship tethered up to keep from sailing away. I'm no ship expert but it looks okay. Small but perhaps quick in the water and able to make sharper turns. I hope Lilka likes it.

"This is all yers," He taps the hull, dropping the matter from before. "She can be handled by one person and sails smooth and quick."

"It's perfect. I'll take it," I say taking out my bag. Rhubarb starts chuckling.

"Lass, ye can't be serious. You can't fit that-" He's interrupted by the sound of the ship getting sucked into the bag when I hold it against the wooden hull. It's sucked it with a *shoop* and the first mate stands there dumbfounded. I hope the ship didn't crash into Lib and the ninjas.

I still need those ninjas in one piece.

"You were saying?" I turn to him and he quickly hides his astonishment.

"Do ye happen it have any more of those bags?" he asks, leaning down to get inspect my bag. "With a few of these, it'd make storin' easier."

"I'll see what I can do…" I fasten the bag back on to my belt. "So, where to now?"

"We go to town to get ye geared up fer yer little expedition," Rhubarb says before heading down the dock towards town. Even if it was pretty late at night, pirates were running all over the place drinking, throwing things, fighting and all around it looks like a rowdy pirate party without enough liquor. Maybe that was because it was already late and they were running out.

A half empty rum bottle flies towards my face and I snatch it out of the air as Rhubarb and I push around the pirates towards the weapons shop. I take a look at the unlabeled fat round bottle for a moment and the golden brown liquid sloshing about inside.

"Eh, why not," I raise the bottle and before it's even halfway up to my mouth, Rhubarb snags it out of my hands. "Hey!"

"Yer still a minor and a pirate's gotta draw the line somewhere," He says, taking a swig himself before dropping the bottle in the hands of a semi-passed out pirate sitting on the ground and leaning on the wall of the weapons shop. The pirate mumbles his thanks as we walk into the shop and I try to keep myself from scowling too much.

"Meringue." Rhubarb greets the store keeper behind the counter. Different weapons ranging from daggers to cutlasses were hanging on display on the walls and barrels of various discount weapons were scattered around. The weapons on the wall look like they've been modified to fit a certain style. The young pirate must take stolen weapons and rework them to fit his design. It was impressive…I suppose. There was also a large cracked window in the store; there were several cracks the size of small metal balls used for pistols. This place's seen some action.

"First mate Rhubarb! I hear there's a commotion that went on a little bit ago. And who's that?"

"This lass calls herself Josephine. She ain't from around these parts and the Captain wants her to go get…he wants the lass to do a job fer him."

"You're Meringue?" I step forward.

"Yes, me bounty of the sea," He smiles warmly at me. "What can I do fer you?"

"The lass is off to the Ruins o'Kordana on Captain Blackberry's orders." Rhubarb states gravely and the color drains from Meringue's face.

"You do know that no one's ever come back right, lass?" Meringue says worriedly. Strange how everyone's acting sort of nice towards a complete stranger.

"Pffft, I'm not a pirate and that might make a difference," I say, just barely keeping my disdain out of my voice. "Um, no offense meant. Maybe it's an ancient curse is what I mean." I lie.

"At least yer not lily-livered. Could have more respect though," Rhubarb mutters, rummaging through the pockets of his jacket. He pulls out a pouch of gold and throws it on the counter. "Lass, you have a fine sword but do ye have a pistol?"

"No but-"

"That one," Rhubarb points at a model on the wall and Meringue pockets the pouch and takes out a sleek wooden box from behind the counter.

"Umm…why are you paying for this?"

"Ye need to be as prepared as ye can before headin' to the Ruins.  _I be meanin' no offense_ but ye don't look like much. Sure ye got 'em ninjas but the ruins be a lot more dangerous. Everythin' inside seems like it be made to exterminate humans. There even be some sort a ghost or "voice" leadin' ye to yer doom."

"I ha'e a few in different colors but by looking at you, lass, black fits ye well." Meringue opens the box and turns it around for us to look."

"That looks…nice. And expensive." I comment, reaching out towards it tentatively. Alison would call it old fashioned but in a good way. It's a black metal flintlock. The trigger and lock were made out of a silvery metal and carvings decorated the lock.

"It only has one barrel but it won't misfire as much as the others and if ye be good, you can reload the pistol in about fifteen seconds or so." Meringue explains, pushing the box forward towards me.

"Ye can't be a very good pirate unless ye get a pistol. It does take a while to reload so have one shot at the ready at all times." Rhubarb explains, loading the pistol and before holding it out to me. "Have ye ever fired one before?" He asks as I reach out to it.

"No but I can-" He suddenly pulls the pistol away and shoots a bullet through the window. The bullet flies through one of the tiny bullet holes already in the window, barely grazing the glass. His shot leaves no mark and outside I hear one of the pirates yell something about a son of a biscuit shooting a hole through the bull's-eye on their dartboard. All of this he did without moving his stern gaze on me.

"You load, aim and pull the trigger hopin' it doesn't explode on you. Crash course's over," Rhubarb states, pushing the pistol into my hands as Meringue claps. "Ye might want some room on yer belt fer a holster." He continues, grabbing a pouch of bullets and stuffing them in my bag.

"No need. The person who made my belt's real master. I can quick-draw no problem with it." I open one of the empty pouches and place the pistol inside.

"If ye say so," Rhubarb says before taking a rolled up map out of his jacket. He unfurls it and places it on the counter, motioning me to come take a look. "The ruins be right dead center of Sho Nuff," Rhubarb says, pointing to the middle of the map. "I wouldn't recommend it but if ye go now, it'll take a few hours on foot. And since ye seem a bit crazy, I suppose you will no matter what we say."

"Ye be goin' now?" Meringue asks and I nod. "But ye just got here and it be safer in daylight."

"Captain says he wants me to go as soon as I can so now's fine," I answer, tracing a route on the map.

"He won't be captain fer long," Meringue mutters under his breath. I'm sure Rhubarb heard him but he doesn't show any sign that he noticed.

"Now listen closely, lass," He grabs a quill from an inkpot on the counter and jots down some words. "The Ruins be a very dangerous place filled with strange magic and traps. Ol Crossbones wrote a few things in his journal that might be of some help if ye understand them. Personally, I have no clue what these mean." He says, putting the quill back into the ink pot.

_**"In the light of Kordana, only the penitent pirate will pass (Page 23). Above the abyss of Kordana, only a leap of faith will prove a pirate's worth (Page 42)."** _

I reread the lines twice and I couldn't figure them out.

"I don't get it either but I'll probably understand when the time comes," I roll the map back up and pocket it in my bag.

"Are ye sure ye don't want to rest?" Meringue asks hopefully and Rhubarb stares at me, expression hardened.

"I'll be fine and besides, the worst that could happen is that you'll lose a small asset. I mean, I already gave you the potions, ninjas and ship. What more is there besides going to get your pearl?"

"That's not-"

"Now if you excuse me, I gotta start my hunt. Thanks for the pistol lesson," I say curtly before leaving out the door. The atmosphere was making me uncomfortable.

As I walk towards the edge of town, dodging tipsy pirates along the way, I notice that Rhubarb was following me.

"I'll be seein' ye off then," He walks up beside me.

"Fine…" I say, once again uneasy. We continue in silence before Rhubarb speaks suddenly just as we near the town's east end.

"Can't believe the Captain's sending a youngin' to do a grown pirate's job," he sighs angrily. Before I could protest, he continues "When ye come back, if ye want to be a pirate then make sure ye stick to me. Captain Blackberry's not a man that a youngin' like you would want to learn too much from so if ye be yearnin' fer the free life o a pirate, stick to me and you'll earn yer sealegs. Whad'ya say?"

"…I wouldn't mind that. The town's a bit rowdy but I like that…" I trail off, keeping my eyes looking straight ahead. "See you." I say curtly before running off in the direction of the Ruins. Weird, this is really weird. The pirates are likable and that almost doesn't make me want to destroy them. Almost…this sucks.

I slow down to a stop when I'm sure I'm far enough from the town to not be seen or noticed. I open the flap of my bag and Lib flies out, livid.

"You almost killed me!" he berates me. "At least give me some warning before you go and stuff a ship in there! You-…are you okay?" He asks when he flies closer and sees my expression.

"I am…conflicted."

"What?"

"Nothing!" I breathe in deeply. "Now let's go back and save the ninjas." I tell him before turning back in the direction of Osprey Cove.

"Wait a sec!" Lib flies in front of me. "I thought you wanted to let the pirates keep'em hostage."

"Just until I'm out of sight and with an alibi," I explain, stepping around him. "Now let's go  _"save"_  those bastards."

"Eh, whatever you say," He lands on my shoulders as I jog back. "Say, were you really going to kill that guy? You knew that you'd get stopped right?"

"Nope. I was just going along with it."

"Is that…okay?"

"Probably not but anything to protect my friends, right? He and his friends attacked us first anyway so that makes it okay. Well, I think it makes it okay."

…

"Hideyoshi! Hideyoshi! Wake up!" I shake the ninja closest to the iron bars of the cage in the brig. It was easier sneaking in than I imagined it would be. Most of the pirates were away thinking that they'd be safe in their own town. Only one person was left to guard the prisoners and guess who it was? The former captain of the ship that Lib destroyed when we escaped. And of course the old guy's sleeping. It was easy to grab the keys off of him and he's still snoozing right beside the prison. He's going to be in a lot of trouble.

"Hmmmm…Yumiko?" He slowly opens his eyes before snapping up. He was on the other side of the iron bars with Tomoe, Ennosoke and that other guy. "Where are we? What happened?"

"It was Heiji!" I whisper to him. "He came down after your argument with him and hit Tomoe!" I say, faking tears and a quivering voice. "Then you came down but he got you too. I couldn't stop him so I escaped. He's working with the pirates!"

"What? Why would Heiji…"he trails off into his thoughts, realizing that Heiji might have had a motive. Perfect.

"Yumiko?" Tomoe sits up in the cramped space, rubbing his eyes groggily. "Ow, my head's pounding. Wait…What's going on?"

"Explain to him what happened," I tell Hideyoshi, pushing keys through the bars. "Wait a bit before you leave; there might be another guard coming to check up on you. The pirates have the breathing potions and the Kessel. You have to sink the Kessel; I don't think we can get everything out safely."

"But-"

"Just do it!" I tell him desperately and he gulps and nods slowly.

"Wake up the others. I need to go right now and follow Heiji. I just saw him walking off with their captain."

"You can't do that alone!" Hideyoshi protests but Tomoe grabs his arm and shakes his head.

"She'll be fine."

"I will! No pirate alive can catch me!" I flash him a victory sign. "We'll meet back in the village, okay?"

He was about to say something but I was already sliding out the door. I would have gone to the captain's cabin to get that chest of scrolls but it was occupied at the moment. We'll get it later.

Lib flies out of my bag again as I sneak out of town.

"That was evil," He whispers to me as I dart in and out of the dark alleys, dodging the gaze of the now drowsy pirates.

"Am I?" I giggle softly as we leave town.

Just some moments later, the smell of burning reaches my nose and I take a deep breath savoring the moment and imagine the surprise and fury of all the pirates watching the Kessel burn in the bay as they lynch the guy who "let" the ninjas escape. But then…am I missing something?

"You forgot about the water breathing potions didn't you?" Lib drawls dryly, flying next to me as I sink down on all fours and hang my head.

"Shit, I'm an idiot." I can't believe I forgot.

"Well lucky for you, Butterbrain," Lib begins, flying into my bag and coming out with a bottle in his mouth. "I got one at least. Since the water breathing potions are in the sea now, having this might be useless but who knows." I sit up straight and he drops the bottle in my lap before going in and pulling out my cape and gloves.

"Thanks. So you can be likable once every planet alignment," I joke and he scowls but says nothing more. "We might as well go to the Ruins before getting the ship to Lilka and Patch. It's closer." I say, fastening my cape and pulling my gloves on. It was kind of sad; everything felt so new when I could touch them with my actual skin.

"How long do you think this'll take?" Libérta asks as we traverse through the dark jungle.

"Let's challenge ourselves to get in and out of the Ruins before the sun rises. We still have a lot of time."

…

"No way," I breathe out quietly as I step into the clearing, Lib flying close beside me. "This…is this a space ship?" I walk towards the hulking yellow and bronze ship. I had only ever seen space ships in the books and pictures that Justine brought back. It's not a perfect copy of the ships I've seen but it fits. It looks like it had crashed a long time ago. The ship was overgrown with moss, vines and ferns. A large hole was in the side of the ship and I could probably get in through there.

"What's a space ship?" Libérta asks me, staring at the ship in wonder.

"Exactly what it says on the tin. It's a ship that travels through space. It also shouldn't be in a place or time like this…unless time travel. Maybe time travel. Anyway, we should go in but let's take it slowly. No need to rush into danger.

Lib and I walk up cautiously to the entrance, watching for any signs of movements. Hearing a buzzing sound coming from the inside, Lib and I quickly dart to the hull of the ship next to the hole. I keep my back to the wall and peer inside.

There were two metal bees scuttling around. Robot bees. Just what every security system needs. Robot bees.

Motioning Lib to get ready, I unsheathe my sword. Then I pick up a pebble and throw it down on the ground in front of the entrance. Immediately, I hear the robot bees buzz and scuttle towards us. The moment one of them sticks their heads out, I decapitate the bee, feeling my blade slice through the metal. Lib flies around me and fires a ball of ice at the other oncoming bee at point blank range. The ball smashes into his head and the bee is knocked back to the ground, twitching a little before going still.

"Go," I whisper and we both dart into the ship. Hearing the sound of more scuttling, we both jump into a corner covered by tall ferns to wait for the other robot security monsters to come out. Hiding ourselves in them, I peer out of the ferns to examine our surroundings.

The floor and walls were all made of metal and even if the place is overrun by plants, the ship still seems to be working. I could see and hear the gears turning. It's outlandish.

"Here come more," Lib whispers and my eyes dart to two robot dung beetles coming out of the hallway ahead. Again, robot dung beetles. Essential for any futuristic security system for people that want intruders to get a face full of cold metal balls. Attracted by the noise we made, they scamper in, metal appendages scraping against the floor. Noticing the unmoving bodies of the bees, they scurry over and check over the scraps keeping their backs to us. We jump out and I stab one beetle clean through the head. It quivers before going limp and I rip my sword out ready to go for the other but it had already jumped back.

The beetle digs its front legs into the floor, rolling up the metal into a large ball. The beetle flings it at me and I barely jump out of the way before it smashes and lodges itself into a wall. Lib speeds towards our attacker and fires a ball of energy at the beetle. The energy ball hits dead on and the beetle explodes into pieces of shrapnel.

Lib flies back to me and lands on my shoulder. I was about to congratulate us but a voice catches the both of us off guard.

"Hello?" It says through static. "Is someone there? I can't quite see-" The voice abruptly cuts off and Lib flies under my cape and clings to my back.

"G-ghost?" He stutters.

"Sounds like a woman and it isn't a ghost. I'd know if it was a ghost," I whisper, waiting for her to continue. The voice doesn't sound threatening.

"Hello?" I call out. We only heard static in response. Libérta bites down on my arm and I cry out in pain. "Ow! What was that for?" I shake him off and he lets go.

"Stop being so loud! The ghost'll hear you!"

"What, are you afraid? Want to hide under my cape?" I say with mock sympathy, pursing my lips. Lib scowls at me silently before opening his mouth and splashing me with a gush of water. I stand there for a while with the same facial expression. "…Are we still doing that?"

"Yes." He states angrily before gliding off towards the next hall. Wiping the water off, I run after him leaving a trail of water on the ground.

The next hall was empty but we stay alert. As we walk, I eye one of the hanging blue and gray things on the ceiling. I'm assuming it's a camera; it has a green lens that's been following our movements.

"You-"The voice starts up again and we both freeze in our tracks. "Be careful-…Security drone up ahead. Sorr-…Can't control…" The voice dissolves into static again and I look up thoughtfully at one of the cameras.

"I think she's trying to help us, Lib. You can stop shivering now." I glance over at him.

"I'm not shi-ivering," He retorts in annoyance.

"Sure. Whatever you say," I make a face, trying to keep from laughing. I squish my lips together but a small laugh escapes and Lib curls his lip back just a tiny bit. Another scuffling noise grabs our attention and the two of us press up against the corner of the wall, completely forgetting that we were close to getting into a scuffle with each other ourselves.

"It's some sort of grey squid thing," I comment, peering out. "It's got three eyes and four legs." I continue. "I have no idea how it's going to attack and it's blocking the only way ahead so we'll have to take a different approach."

"Want me to fly above and surprise it?"

"Go for it. I'll attack when it gets distracted. Think you'll be okay?"

To answer my question, he flies high sticking to the ceiling as he gets closer to the security drone. Once he was right above it, Libérta spits out balls of ice and they fall towards the drone. Before the ice balls could hit their mark, the drone looks up and shoots a laser beam from its eyes, melting the ice and just nearly missing Libérta.

I jump out of the corner, ready to attack the distracted drone but it suddenly launches itself up towards the ceiling. My sword hits the ground with a metallic clang and my eyes dart up to the ceiling where the drone had stuck itself. Its eyes focus in on me and it dives straight down. I jump to the nearest wall as the drone shoots down towards me. It doesn't land on the ground but spins in the air. Its eyes focus on me again and it spins towards me. I slash my sword at it as it flies towards me, my sword barely making a mark as I leap away. One of its legs grazes my shoulder and if I didn't get away in time, my shoulder blade would've gotten crushed. Clutching my shoulder on the ground, I struggle to get up. In the corner of my eye, I see the drone refocusing its gaze on me, readying its laser. Lib rams himself into him, knocking the both of them to the cold metal floor.

The two scrap it out, the drone's appendages trying to crush Lib. Lib fights back, squirming and thrashing, making the two roll around. Lib tries to shoot out a ball of ice or fire or energy, whatever can knock that thing back but their struggle was keeping him from shooting.

The drone suddenly gets the upper hand and gets on top of Lib, ready to fire its laser. Lib, now that the two of them weren't moving around as much, prepares to breathe out at the drone.

*BAM*

The drone falls to the side, limp with a bullet hole through one of its eyes. I was holding the flintlock shakily in my hands.

"Aim and shoot hoping that it doesn't explode in my face. I think I got an A," I crawl over to them and push the drone's unmoving body off of Lib. "You okay?"

"I could have gotten him first," Lib huffs, puffing his chest out.

"At least we know how to take care of them easier," I hold up the pistol. "Hold up, just let me reload the thing," I pull out the pouch of bullets and pick out a small round metal ball.

"The guy with the tasty sounding name said that you could reload it in fifteen seconds if you were good right?" Lib asks.

"Yup, it won't take long."

Half an hour later, I got the son of a bitch reloaded.

"You suck so much." Lib drawls sleepily.

"Shut up," I stand up and angrily walk to the next corridor and Lib shakes himself before flying to catch up to me. Up ahead, there was a door with three lights on the side, each a primary color.

"See if you can open the door with the three colored locks," The voice instructs us, sounding clearer than before. "The switches are in the rooms in the hall. Watch out, there are still many-" The voice cuts off again.

"Sounds easy enough," I look over to Lib as we turn left. Another drone leaps out from behind some ferns, appendages outstretched. Reflexively, I draw my pistol and shoot a bullet into one of its eyes. The bullet goes straight through and the drone lands at my feet. I look at the drone, then at Lib who was now facepalming with his tail and back at my pistol. "Shit." I grumble, sitting back down to reload.

The whole finding the switches thing probably took over an hour and a half at the least. The bees and beetles were easy to deal with since we knew how to deal with them but the damn drones. Every three steps I had to sit down and reload. I got faster as each time but still. It sucked metal robot dung balls.

"There," I grumble as we return to the locked the door. Libérta wouldn't even speak to me.

We step through the now open door and a robot bee darts over and shoots its stinger at me. Without much emotion, I deflect the stinger and Lib rams himself against the bee, smashing it into the ground. A robot dung beetle was nearby and prepares an attack but I was already on it. I stab into its abdomen just as it started to make a ball of metal. I sever its nerve circuit and it dies but I keep stabbing and stabbing to vent. Lib was still chewing on the bee, mumbling furiously.

"My scanners are cutting out…" the voice catches my attention again. "You'll *TZZZK* on your own."

"Um, sure. No problem." I say, smiling at one of the nearby cameras. "C'mon Lib." He flaps his way over to me as we enter the next room.

"Mother of fuck! Another one?"

*BAM* The shot rings through the empty halls as another drone drops to the ground.

"Butterbrain, I'm going ahead if it's going to take another hour to reload."

"Oh screw it," I stuff the flintlock back in my belt. "I'll do it later." I storm down the hall.

"STOP!" The voice yells and I freeze in mid-step, Lib hovering next to me. "You tripped the defense *TZZZK* You have to *TZZZK*"

"Butterbrain…" Lib starts worriedly. "Do you thin-"

"Penitent!" I yelp before dropping flat on the ground taking Lib with me.

A laser fires at us just as we drop and I hear a loud boom. Rolling on my back, I glance up to see one of the cameras incinerated.

"You destroyed the security lens…*CHHHHH* Good job. Keep go-" The voice gives us encouragement and I stand back up.

"That was close," I sigh, brushing dust off of myself. There happened to be a finger bone stuck on my arm and I flick it off. It was probably one of the poor saps that attempted to get past. "Sorry." I say as the small bone drops on the ground and then Lib walks over and makes a snack out of it.

The rest of the way was empty and we carry on until we reach a gap in the path. Both Lib and I peer over the edge trying to look for the bottom. There was one about a hundred bone crushing meters down.

"Strange, this will require a leap of faith to kick-start the safety measures." The voice warns us.

Swallowing hard, I prepare myself by stepping a few steps back to give me a running start. Lib attaches himself to my shoulders just in case we do actually fall towards my death. Maybe he can flap his wings and help buffer my fall.

"Alright, here goes!" I charge to the ledge and launch myself off the edge getting ready for the plunge. Instead I fall four feet face first on an invisible pathway.

"…Maybe I should have been more specific…" The voice muses.

I pick myself up, suddenly self-conscious and continue walking.

"Nice going Butterbrain. You got some drool on your face."

"Shut up, will you?" I growl at Lib, wiping the spit off my chin that I accidentally spat out from the impact of my leap of faith.

As we step off the invisible path, the gears of the ship start turning faster and the ship's lights brighten. We walk towards a larger camera hanging from the ceiling in front of a control board. A figure of a woman in a space uniform flickers into existence and both Lib and I exclaim in surprise.

"Ghost!" Lib cries.

"Hologram?" I stare at the figure and stick my hand through her shoulder. "You are a hologram!" I retract my hand and step back.

"Strange," The dark haired hologram lady comments. "I didn't think that denizens of this world would know what a hologram was. But no matter. You made it! I'm Kordana," She lays a hand on her chest and bows. "You must have many questions and I will do my best to answer them all."

"Um…hello Kordana. Who are you exactly?" I ask tentatively.

"I am Kordana. I was this Battlemech's artificial intelligence before it crashed. I carried a crew of two hundred and fifty one humans as well as seventy two cordemi during the reset. Thankfully I was able to get them into the escape pods before I crashed."

"I'm sorry, but let me get this straight. You are a mecha? Like a giant robot I hear in my sibling's stories? How do you exist?" I ask, incredulous.

"The Reset," She states gravely. "In this plane of existence, reality had to be rewritten. It was during a cataclysmic last battle that it happened. Everything reset."

"How long was this ago?" I ask as Lib clings to me with a confused look. I glace at him and assure him that I'd explain what was going on later.

"I am no longer sure. I've been confused over the past centuries. My program must be degrading."

"Oh no…Um, is there any way to make it better?"

"Don't worry; you've already helped out so much by destroying those bots. I lost control of them a while ago and since the Wind Orb's been stolen, we've had to share the same back-up energy supply. Thanks to your purging of them, I'll have enough energy to last the next couple of thousand years. Thank you very much." She smiles and bows again.

"No problem," I smile back. "Wait a sec…Wind Orb was stolen? Is that what people have been calling the Wind Pearl and Jewel of the Four Winds?"

"Yes. The Wind Orb used to be my power source. It's a very powerful magical item that was given to me by a kind priest. He found me when the last of my power cells were dying and let me use it as a power source. Until it got stolen, I had been drawing power from it for the last few centuries or so."

"I guess he isn't coming back for it."

"No, he isn't. He gave it to me to protect. The priest was from the Temple of the Four Winds that held both the Orb and The White Dragon Box. He said that having both together in one place was too dangerous."

Everything clicked together at that moment. The Wind Orb, the temple and the dragon eggs. I wasn't sent here to the island for a vacation I guess…

"I am sorry to say that I could not keep it safe. A man came and took it away just recently. He was heading north of here towards the camp of Okuchi no Okami."

"Was this man a ninja or a pirate?"

"He was neither. Let me show you," Kordana says. Her form disappears, replaced by the hologram of another more familiar man. Boy to be more precise.

I burst out laughing, feeling something surge through every part of my being. I think it was joy as strange as it sounds. My knees were quivering and I feel so wonderful. What do you call this? I can't even begin to describe what I was feeling.

"Do you know him?" Kordana shifts to her usual appearance.

"Oh yes. Yes I certainly do," I laugh lightly, feeling giddy. "Don't worry. I'll get this Wind Orb back to you." I smile gleefully.

"Thank you. I cannot stress enough how powerful the Orb is and if in the wrong hands could cause limitless havoc. If my sensors were working, I would give you his exact location but I can't. Forgive me."

"No problem. No matter where he is, I'll find him." Feeling the small glass ball in its pouch on my belt and Lib glances up at me with an unreadable expression. "I will get the Orb from him. Drakath is as good as mine."

…

"You seem happy," Lib comments as we near the beach. Having just left Kordana, Lib and I decided that we should get to Lib and Patch first to give them a ship and get them home. Things were about to go wild now that destiny boy's showed up. It's a lovely surprise and best of all, it makes my plans even grander.

"I am," I yawn, tears forming at the corners of my eyes. "But I'm really tired."

"Do you want to rest for a little while?" Lib asks. "We've been awake for a long time now," He says, watching the sun rise over the horizon.

"Don't worry," I say, interrupted by another yawn. "I'm totally…fine," I rub my eyes and walk groggily along the beach, wobbling every few steps.

"…I'm tired," Lib says after a pause. "Let's take a nap for an hour somewhere."

"Well if you insist," I plop down on the sand next to a palm tree in front of the part of the jungle we just stepped out from. There were hibiscus plants around and it made it such a nice place to take a nap. As I take off my cape and lay it flat on the white sand, I see Lib roll his eyes at me. "Just an hour or so won't hurt." I fall forward on to my cape, ready for a snooze. Something falls out of my belt. I reach out to feel around for it inattentively, prepared to go to sleep.

That is, until I feel something slim, metal and sleek. Glancing over at what my fingertips were touching, I have a flashback to the time when Alison had slipped something into my belt as we were about to leave.

" _Call me later or maybe I'll call you."_

"Why?" I ask myself desolately, smothering myself in my cape. "Why does this shit happen to me? Why did you have to pick this medium?"

In my hand was a slim silver motherfucking cell phone. Why did she have to use a cell phone as a dimensional communication medium?

A note slips out of the phone. I pick it up and read it.

_"There were no other choices. Besides, if they were fine with a fridge, they won't burn you at the stake for having a cellphone."_

She had a point. Lately I've been half expecting Reens or whoever to pull up to my house in an SUV and asking if I wanted a ride to town.

Flipping open the cellphone, I sit up and find that someone had tried to call me fifty times. The same person was trying to contact me at this very moment and of course it's on vibrate.

"Hello?" I bring the phone up to my ear, accidently rousing Libérta.

"Mornin' Mornin lil sis. Look who finally decides to pick up," Alison chimes from her end of the line. "Take the phone off of your ear. I can't see you." I bring the phone down and find that my sister was in the screen. She was making some breakfast in a pan. "And look, there's little Lib. You both look tired. Have too much fun last night?"

"You can say that…Alison?"

"Yes?"

"I need some help…"

"Fire away."

I quickly explain my situation to her, telling her about what happened to us on our way here and what I've been doing so far. The farther I got into my story, the more sour her look becomes. By the end, she's stuck between a proud smile and seething smoke out of her ears.

"So, what would you have me do? I'm sure we can arrange some way to utterly annihilate those pirate and ninja scum."

"Nothing yet. I'm going to send Lilka and Patch home first. I'll get in touch with you later. I still need to get some more information." I say, feeling a kind breeze on my skin. "You will help me, right? They deserve it, right?"

"What are siblings for? Call me soon. Ash'll be down any minute and…you know he won't approve of what you're doing."

"…I know. I gotta go now. I can't keep my eyes open."

"Take care and be safe. Call me soon. Love you."

"I love you." I say before closing my phone and lying back down. Boy would it have been more useful if I knew I had that phone. "At least the beach is nice." I mumble, curling myself up next to Lib.

"I thought you hated the beach." He mutters, shutting his eyes.

"It's the exact opposite. I'm in love with the ocean," I let my eyes shut, relaxed by the sound of lapping waves. "Being afraid of something and hating something are completely different."

"Is it because you can't swim?"

"I-"

"Wait!" Libérta flies up into the air, scanning the beach before honing in on something right behind us. "Someone's here."

"Who's there?" I jump to my feet, completely awake.

The bushes and greenery behind me rustle and crunch. Someone was trying to run away.

"They heard us!" Libérta growls, ready to give chase.

"Stop," I whisper, grabbing on to Lib's tail. "Let him go. He just took a wrong turn probably. Maybe on purpose actually."

"What are you talking about," he wriggles out of my grip. "That guy heard your conversation! What if it's a ninja? Or a pirate? We'll be doomed."

"It's neither," I sigh, sinking back down to lie on my cape.

"How do you know?" Libérta demands.

"Here," I raise a now warm small crystal ball. It showed Drakath running through the greenery in a frenzy, looking back over his shoulder to check if I was still chasing after him. "It doesn't matter if he knows. Maybe it's even good that he knows," I wrap the blanket over myself, content and keeping the glass ball close to me. "He runs much better now." I muse, gazing at the person running for his life.

"Mom…is that man your enemy?" Lib asks, landing on the sand next to my head and the orb. My black hair was spread out on the sand and I stretch, looking over to Lib.

"Yeah."

"But why do you look at him like that?"

"What do you mean?"

"Are you…never mind. You're just being creepy again." He yawns and lies on his side against the side of my head.

"Shut up. I'm…not creepy…" I mumble before dozing off.


	23. Preparations and Strange Tidings

"Are you sure you can't be with us?" Lilka asks me one more time, hands on my shoulders with Patch behind her giving me a pleading look as best as he could make. His eyes weren't focused and seeing that firms my resolve to stay.

We were on the beach as the morning sun rose higher in the sky and Lilka's new ship was floating in the shallows. The two of them were standing in the lapping waves and Lib was splashing his shimmering blue tail in the water while I stood barely an inch away from the wet sand. A small wave reaches across the sand and stops just short of touching my feet before receding.

"I need to stay," I shake my head sadly. "This can't left alone. I have to stop them."

"But I'm sure that if we get back and get help fast enough, everything will turn out fine." Lilka tries again and I smile to assure her.

"I'll be fine but if I don't stay, Falconreach might get invaded without notice by either the ninjas or pirates or maybe even both at the same time. And that isn't the only thing," I gently take Lilka's hands off of my shoulders and they drop to her sides dejectedly. "I need you to find Lady Celestia and Eli when you get back. Tell them that the Wind Orb is here and both the Pirates and Ninjas want it and send some help if possible," I say and they both nod. "I'm sorry I can't help any more than this and that this trip turned out so rotten." I stare down at the sand.

"Don't say that, Lass," Patch shakes his head, reaching out with his hand in my general direction. It somehow manages to touch my forehead and ruffle my short black hair into a mess. "Be safe. Don't ye worry a bit. Lilka will keep us from harm."

"I know," I smile at him, hoping that he can sense it. "You need to go now. Both the ninjas and pirates are getting more active and you can't get caught. I will see you soon. I will."

"Be safe," Lilka repeats what Patch had said and Patch nods firmly before reluctantly getting to the ship.

Lib and I watch Lilka help Patch climb aboard on the rope ladder and raise the sail before the ship begins to glide across the sea water away from Sho Nuff. Lilka looks back to wave but I was already running into the thicket of bamboo towards the Shadow of the Wind Village with Lib flying after me.

…

"Hey, Lib."

"What now?"

"I need you to beat me up." I say as I change into Yumiko's clothes again. Both the unconscious ninjas had sort of woken up but a quick whack to my back silenced them.

We were nearing the Shadow of the Wind Village and I had to look as convincing as possible. At the moment we were in the part of the bamboo thicket that I was sure a ninja patrol was going to come through soon.

"Sure." Lib answers immediately.

"Hey! At least make some effort to sound reluctant!" I scowl at him, bracing myself for the worst.

"Couldn't manage it if I tried," He says with a toothy grin, claws ready.

…

"Yumiko! Yumiko!" Hideyoshi bursts into the infirmary section of the ninja dojo and rushes to my side. Ennosoke and Tomoe walk in after him.

I was lying on a futon in a mostly empty infirmary hall. There were other futons lining the hall but mine was the only one occupied. I was covered in bandages from the injuries I "sustained from my ordeal of being a prisoner of the pirates." I had bruises and slashes all over me by the time a patrolling ninja squad found me limping towards the village. The injuries weren't bad though. Lib made sure not to break or fracture bones or leave me with anything that might cripple me for a while. I still needed to fight after all.

The ninjas bandaged me up too but before I let them find me, I had bandaged up my hands. I can't let  _that_  happen now. The bandages aren't as good as my gloves though so it might seep out. I can't have the gloves off for too long.

"Hideyoshi? Is that you?" I fake a groan as I act like it's taking me a lot of effort to sit up. I suddenly seize up and fall back but before my head could hit the pillow, Hideyoshi catches the back of my head and lowers me down.

"Save your strength," He shushes me, brushing away stray strands of hair from my face before cupping it with his rough hands. He leans in closer and I start to feel very uncomfortable. That's a bit too much brotherly love for my liking. "Do you feel better now? Do you need anything?" He asks, voice soothing and soft. He was practically on top of me.

Is this normal?

"No, I'm okay," I sigh instead. "I just need some air," I gently push against his chest but he doesn't budge and I almost lose composure. Luckily, Tomoe coughs and Hideyoshi, suddenly realizing that he was invading my personal space, backs off a bit but he was still a bit too close. I notice that a light blush was spreading across his cheeks and I swallow a gag. Maybe he just feels stressed?

"Is Thyton coming?" I ask, quickly looking away from Hideyoshi. "I need to talk to him. It's urgent!"

"We know it is," He whispers softly, clasping one of my bandaged hands, intertwining our fingers.

"Uh…" I stammer, not sure how to react. Maybe as an older brother, when he gets really worried he becomes…a bit touchy feely.

"We're right here you know?" Ennosoke grumbles, walking over. "If the two of you are going to be like that then get a damn room."

This has to be some kind of joke right? No way did he just say that. That's really terrible. Stomach lining dissolving terrible to be specific.

"No need to lose your head over this. Maybe you need a hug too," Tomoe move up behind Ennosoke and flicks the back of his head, making the shorter boy scowl as he readjusts his glasses.

Just before Ennosoke could turn around and start an argument, someone knocks on the door.

"And that must be Thyton," Tomoe says before moving to stand by the wall near us. Ennosoke does the same but Hideyoshi stays by me and helps me sit up, his arms supporting my back. He keeps one arm around the small of my back and his other hand was in my lap holding mine.

"Are you comfortable talking on your own?" He asks me, full of concern.

"Of course I will. You know me," I smile at him wanting very dearly to put a few miles between us. "Let him in. I'll explain everything." He gazes back at me awhile before nodding and backing away to stand by the wall with the others hesitantly. Tomoe walks to the door and slides it open to let Thyton and another group of older ninjas file in. Thyton comes to kneel beside me.

"Yumiko, are you well?" He asks.

"I…think I am," I gulp, looking back at him. I still couldn't see his face because of that damn gold helmet. It'd be easier to tell if he was buying my act if I could. "I need to hurry and tell you what happened. We need to hurry!"

"Of course," He nods. "Now calm down and tell us what happened."

"The others already told you what happened to the Kessel, the water breathing potions and Heiji?" He nods, motioning me to continue as the rest of the ninjas visibly show their aversion even at the mention of the "traitor" Heiji. Tomoe retains his usual expression, Hideyoshi stares at the ground and Ennosoke's face becomes blank. "I tried to find out what Heiji and the Pirates were planning but I…messed up and got caught. The pirates didn't tell me much but they forced me to go to a place called the Ruins of Kordana," At the mention of Kordana, a few of the shift nervously. "Heiji was there too but they made me go in. It was terrifying. There were monsters everywhere and strange traps. I can't even begin to describe it." I act like I was getting flustered and hyperventilate. Thyton tries calming me down.

"I know that it is difficult but please, you must tell us the rest." Thyton puts a hand on my shoulder and I swallow before continuing on.

"I somehow made it to the end with the pirates following after me," I go on, deliberately leaving it vague. "We met a ghost woman named Kordana. She told us that what we were looking for was already stolen."

"The Jewel of the Four Winds has been stolen?" Tomoe gasps and Thyton raises a hand to silence him.

"She told us a man named Drakath took it. He was heading North to the camp of Okuchi no Okami. At that point, the pirates were too furious to be reasoned with and began to destroy the place. They were distracted so I took my chance and ran. That's all I know."

"Thank you, Yumiko," Thyton bows his head to me before rising to address the other ninjas. "I am assuming that you heard her story clearly?" The squad of ninjas including Tomoe, Ennosoke and Hideyoshi nod, Hideyoshi looking like it pained him to hear about it. "Not only has one of our own betrayed us for the pirates but now our oldest enemy, the devil fox Okuchi no Okami is collaborating with the villain Prince Drakath. The fox has already stolen most of our prized ninja scrolls and now he seeks to sell the Jewel of the Four Winds off to the highest bidder. We must track down the both of them and then we will deal with the pirates. There can be no time wasted. Now go." He finishes with a wave of his hand and the ninjas rush out. Only Thyton, Hideyoshi, Tomoe, Ennosoke and I were left.

"Is it really a good idea to leave the matter of Heiji and the pirates alone right now?" Hideyoshi asks, half-heartedly trying to be respectful. "It is obvious that they will threaten war as well."

"Heiji…" I begin, hoping to get more information. "He was encouraging an attack on the village. I don't understand why." I sob, brushing away a non-existent tear.

"Isn't it obvious?" Ennosoke rolls his eyes. Hideyoshi turns to him as if ready to strike but Tomoe grabs his arm, stopping him.

"I'd like to know why." Tomoe smiles, glancing back at me. It looked like he wanted me to listen closely.

"Heiji and his family, the Tokugawa clan, are still hung up over the losing their jobs as the scroll keepers to the Yamashita clan after Okami's raid." Ennosoke shrugs. "Sure it was a long time ago and it might be just a rumor but hey, what other reason is there? I bet his whole family is in on it."

"Is that a good enough reason to work with the pirates?" Hideyoshi interrupts him, blue eyes glaring at Ennosoke.

"Perhaps if one was mad enough. You can do crazy things for the sake of revenge. Heiji wants to see your heads roll." Tomoe shakes his head.

"Since Heiji's departure, his clan has been put under watch," Thyton explains grimly. "As of now, there have been no signs that his relatives are aware of his goals. Hideyoshi, how was Heiji acting towards you?"

"We fought but that is a normal occurrence. I would never have suspected…" Hideyoshi trails off, biting down on his lip almost hard enough to break the skin.

"I would suggest that you and the rest of your clan stay in the village. In fact, this isn't a suggestion. This is an order." Thyton walks towards Hideyoshi, looking down at him making sure that he heard every ounce of finality in the order. Hideyoshi stares back, defiant for a few moments before casting his gaze downwards to the floor.

That was the end of that.

"Going back to the subject of Okuchi no Okami and the person he's working with," Tomoe jumps in, holding his chin thoughtfully. "Drakath was it? Who is he? The pirates didn't know about him so he isn't one of them."

"Drakath was spotted roaming the island but has somehow evaded us," Thyton moves to face all of us. I put my hands under my blanket to keep the others from seeing them shake with excitement. "Drakath comes from the main continent. This much we have learned about him," Thyton explains, taking out and unfolding a wanted poster from one of his pockets.

It was like the same one that Lib had showed me before but much more elaborate. The picture was similar to the other one though Drakath may be scowling even harder on this. The reward for him or his corpse was even higher than before. The poster even had "by decree of the royal family" written on it.

"Drakath is an evil man who was once a spoiled child. He thinks that he is entitled to everything and takes what he wants by force," Thyton passes the poster to Hideyoshi for inspection. "He even believes that he is the rightful heir to the throne of Swordhaven…which is true in a sense."

"Looks like a jerk," Ennosoke mutters, as Hideyoshi passes the poster over to him. Look in the mirror you dick.

"Once, all of the realm was ruled by a wicked and power hungry king named King Slugwrath. While he ruled, the land was in darkness," Thyton continues solemnly and gravely. "A good knight, Sir Alteon gathered a band of freedom fighters," I perk up at the mention of King Alteon. I guess I was wrong about him. I should apologize later I guess. "After years of bloody battles and impossible odds, Sir Alteon and his friends defeated the evil King. Though he had no desire for the crown, the people would not hear it, fearing that the land would fall into dark times without his leadership. Alteon took the crown for the people."

"Interesting." Tomoe comments at the story and at the wanted poster of Drakath that Ennosoke passed to him. He walks over and gently hands it to me. I smooth out the edges of the worn paper as Thyton finishes the story.

"King Slugwrath had only one son. Prince Drakath. This villain has been seeking the throne for years. His existence is a threat to the entire Kingdom and if he is anything like his father, he is most likely a threat to the entire land of Lore. Then again that also means that his name is…" Thyton pauses and Tomoe and I snicker. "Drakath Slugwrath," He chokes on Drakath's lame name in a fit of chortles and everyone else was trying, and failing, to keep serious after hearing such a ridiculous name. That name sounded less threatening than an army of stingerless bees on a winter day.

Wow, I just thought like father for a moment there. I never want to do that again.

But the name really does fit though. Drakath's a slimy character…well he tries. He could try harder to be honest. Drakath's wrathful all the time and is as threatening as a slug throwing a tantrum. He's homeless like a slug too.

And like what Thyton said, he is and evil man but he's still very much a spoiled child. There's more I saw too. He's a coward and tends to run quickly from a fight. He is, however, reckless and much too prideful. At the slightest provocation, he'll lash out and fight, forgetting rationality and logic. When he tries to deal with a grudge, he spends more energy and resources than is needed and wastes them. He's shortsighted when it comes to that. Worst of all, he'll do anything to meet his ends, even groveling at the feet of another which makes him easily to manipulate. He's such a loser. Princey is so pitiful it hurts.

He is full of surprises though, I'll admit. I wonder how old he was when he lost everything. What did he look like as a child? How did he manage to become leader of a group of bandits at his skill level? Maybe I can beat the answers out of him later.

Maybe I can gaze into his eyes again…

Thinking about all of that made me smile but I quickly cover it up when Tomoe notices me. Once he looks away again to laugh along with the others, I fold the poster up and push it into the pouch on my belt where I left the crystal ball.

"Ehem…but in any case," Thyton regains his composure (he was doubled over in a fit of laughter before) and turns to the door. "We will deal with him. You all will stand by until I give you further orders," He says as he steps out, turning back to look at Hideyoshi.

"We understand," The others say in unison. Thyton nods at us before leaving to join the hunt with the others.

They won't find Drakath anywhere in ninja territory though. He's long gone from here.

"Well," Ennosoke stretches and yawns. "I'm going to head home for a nap," He sighs before heading to the door. "Maybe I can nick some of Heiji's stuff before the Tokugawas get locked away," Ennosoke leaves, going at a leisurely pace as he walks down the hall. As the sound of his footstep fade away, I hear them suddenly quicken to a sprint. They sounded frantic.

"How about we go too?" Tomoe suggests to Hideyoshi who was still glaring daggers at the door. "Yumiko needs rest and I think she won't get a lot of it if you're around."

"Huh?" he glances from Tomoe to me, surprised. "Do you need me to leave?" Hideyoshi comes back to kneel beside me.

"Well…" I stutter. "It's not that I don't want you here…" Actually, get as far as you can from me please. "I just need to sleep right now and I don't want to keep you from doing anything. It'll probably be boring…ha…"

"It's fine. You need your rest," He helps me lie back down. "We'll wait and find out what happens. I'm sure everything will turn out just fine." He says, leaning in closer to my face. No thanks. Could you move back please?

"Oh…okay." I mutter meekly. He smiles leans in a gives me a quick peck on the lips before mouthing "rest up" and gets up to stride out of the room with Tomoe.

Cue the internal screaming.

"Really? You're going to do that right in front of me?" Tomoe whispers to himself as he follows Hideyoshi out of the infirmary. He gives me a wink before he heads out but I was in the middle of an internal crisis. I am very close to throwing up everywhere.

Just as I was about to actually do so, I hear Tomoe stop Hideyoshi near the door.

"Hey, aren't you the eldest son of the Yamashita clan?" Tomoe asks him quietly but loud enough for me to notice and hear. "Do you think that Heiji will try to get the rest of the scrolls just to spite you?"

"He could if he wanted but it'd be glaringly obvious that he was behind it. But things have changed. My clan has rethought the security of the scrolls so there isn't a need to worry." Hideyoshi explains.

"I don't know. I'm still worried."

"If it puts your mind at ease, I will tell you how it works. There are magical seals protecting the scroll library. Any trespasser would be repelled and the other ninjas alerted to their presence. The only way to step through is either getting permission from each high ranking member of my family which includes my father, mother, my eldest sister and myself. Of course there's another way but it's only used in an emergency."

"Which is?"

"There is a charm in my room that I keep in a locked chest. The other high ranking members of my family each have a copy as well. Inside is a charm that will let anyone step through. Of course I keep the keys on me at all times."

"Is that all?"

"What do you mean by that? That's more than enough. No one can get in without my say so. The chest is safe and sound in my room in the dojo."

"You mean on the tenth floor third room to the right of the stairs?" Tomoe tries clarifying.

"I'd hope you remember where I stay." Hideyoshi grumbles before walking away.

"I'm just…thinking ahead." Tomoe laughs before following after him.

I wait for the sound of their footsteps to die away and for total silence to settle. There were no sounds to be heard anywhere near the infirmary.

"So…" Lib peers out of my bag. "Do you have a plan in mind?"

"I made one up just now. Thanks to Tomoe, things have become much more convenient," I crawl out from under my covers and stand to stretch. "All we need to do is pay a visit to Hideyoshi's room and then just sneak out North. I have a perfect picture in my mind." I smile to myself.

Things just keep getting better.

… **...**

"How are we going to find this fox guy?" Lib asks me as I walk through the Northern bamboo thicket with him on my shoulders and Hideyoshi's locked chest in my hands. It wasn't that hard to get into his room. Hardly anyone was home at the moment and the only person guarding took one look at me, winked and let me pass. I don't even want to know why. The only hard part was tearing up the room looking for the chest and making it look like there was a fight in his room and that poor lil sis Yumiko got captured. Again.

It's strange though. Hideyoshi put three locks on this chest and he didn't think that someone would just steal it and break the locks. There wasn't anything magical on them at all. How did he end up as a high ranking ninja? In fact, how did any of those idiots achieve that?

"We just keep walking," I move forward with no destination in mind. "If the ninjas haven't been able to catch him for this long, we won't be able to catch him either. I don't think we're anywhere near the ninjas that went to look for him. We just need to wander and-"

A white streak flits across the path ahead and I take a defensive stance. Lib climbs under my clothes, ready to jump out for a surprise attack if needed. The bamboo thicket was suddenly quiet. I scan my surroundings for anymore movement but I could see none. A rustle startles me and I glance up, seeing nothing but the tall green bamboo that nearly blocked out all of the sun's rays. I hear another rustle from behind me and this time I quickly grab one of the knives in my belt and throw it at the source. The knife stabs into one of the bamboo stalks and it glints in a stray ray of light. A small hand reaches up to grab the hilt and pulls it out. I was so surprised to see what it was that I let it have an extra five seconds to get away.

It was a sneevil clad in white holding a sai in one hand and a small katana or o tanto in the other. Snapping out of my confusion, I begin to give chase. The sneevil was small, quick and agile. The sneevil darts around the bamboo like it was nothing. There was no way I could match its speed but I try. I jump around the bamboo after the sneevil, feeling greenery snag on to my clothes and scratch my skin.

As I was chasing the sneevil, my shoulder clips a bamboo stalk and I cry out in surprise and pain. I was going to get a big bruise from that for sure. I stumble forward, losing all the momentum I had built up. Cursing at myself and clutching my shoulder, I look up expecting the sneevil to be gone.

To my bewilderment, the sneevil had halted and looked back at me to check if I was still there.

"Hey, Lib." I pat Libérta who was still hiding under my clothes. "I think you should go back into the bag. He hasn't noticed you, I think, and there isn't going to be a fight."

"You sure?" Lib peeks out of my collar, glaring at the sneevil from afar. The sneevil was still standing there like he was waiting for us to go back to following him.

"I think it's for the best." I whisper before continuing, this time at a leisurely walking pace. Lib snorts and crawls back into my hammerspace bag as the sneevil nods ahead and dashes deeper into the thicket. The sneevil stays in my sight range on purpose and we continue on like this for a while before the sneevil jumps out of the thicket into a clearing. Jogging to catch up, I shield my eyes from the bright sunlight as I step into the clearing.

I rub my eyes, trying to get them to adjust to the sudden brightness. It wasn't a big clearing but there was enough room to start and finish a fight where I could move around easily.

The sneevil was standing across the clearing and someone tall and dressed in red clothing steps into the clearing, taking something out of the sneevil's hand. His white fur shimmers in the light as does the gold collar around his neck. With a flick of one of his two tails, the sneevil bows and jumps back into the thicket, disappearing. The fox man turns his attention to me.

His eyes gleam and he smiles showing off his sharp white teeth.

"Come now child," he beckons me over and steps forward into the clearing. Taking a breath in, I walk towards him, locked chest still in hand. He watches me and shows no signs of outward malicious intent. I stop in front of him and bow low.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," I greet him with the utmost respect as I rise up. "You must be Okuchi no Okami."

"Hmmm, I did not expect to find much respect from the ninjas but I suppose I am not speaking to one." He makes a pleased sound at the back of his throat.

"You are quite correct. I am not one of those foul ninjas. Though unfortunately, we share the same objective at this moment. I am looking for a boy named Drakath. Have you seen him? I think he's lost his way." I smile wryly at Okuchi no Okami. He laughs softly, two tails swaying slightly.

"Yes, the Prince and I have met. He was seeking information on the Wind Orb's location and I gave it to him. He paid very well," The fox yokai begins to circle me, looking for my reaction.

"You knew where the Wind Orb was…and you sold it to some guy rather than taking it for yourself," I feign a thoughtful posture, closing my eyes as if I was thinking deeply. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were planning something…" I think out loud and the fox stops beside me, giving me a side long glance. I am in a very delicate situation and I'd like it to end well.

"You would think correctly," He says, subtly baring one of his fangs. His long nose and the red design tattooed on his white fur wrinkles but I stand my ground. "If you are not a ninja and you are most certainly not a pirate…then who could you be? An outsider?" he begins circling me again, one of his white tails brushes the back of my leg. "Why would an outsider know of me? Why would an outsider infiltrate the ninja village?"

"I have heard of you from the ninjas. You stole some very important scrolls from them…I wonder what's in them? The ninjas want them back very dearly." I ask a question to change the subject.

"Do you seek them as well? If you let me keep them, I will tell you where Drakath is," Okuchi no Okami had stopped right in front of me and his maw was getting close to my face. Wow those teeth are big. With one swift movement, he could tear off my face in an instant. "He is cowering in the fire caves north of here near the coast," He smiles suddenly and backs away slightly, looking down at me. "I could offer you even more. I will assist in his capture by setting a trap for him and place the Orb in your lap. What is your answer?"

"No," I state immediately making his expression turns sour and his lip curls back into a snarl. "What I intend to do is leave-"

His claws suddenly close around my neck and I feel myself getting lifted off the ground. He squeezes hard and I struggle to breathe in, still keeping a firm grip on the chest.

"You will not leave at all!" He growls, digging his claws into my skin. The pressure around my neck was going to make my eye pop out and the fox seems to take pleasure in that. I try prying his paws off of my neck with my free hand but they wouldn't budge so I tried the next best thing.

I raise my other arm and offer him Hideyoshi's chest.

Puzzled at my actions, Okuchi no Okami drops me and I flop on to the ground with the chest still in hand. Clutching at my throat, I cough, wheeze and gasp for air.

"You…could have…let me finish," I say between gasps. "What I was going to say was that I intend to leave without your assistance and without your scrolls." He raises his brow at my statement.

"Perhaps it would have been wiser for you to word your answer differently."

"I was trying to sound sophisticated," I shoot back at him, reaching a hand out. He stares at my hand in confusion. "Well? Help me up. We're making a deal here." The fox keeps staring at me, astonishment not hidden at all. Finally, he grabs my hand with his huge paw, pulling me up. "Now, where was I going with this before you interrupted me?" I grumble, brushing dirt off of myself and the chest. "Oh right. You might want to recheck your information, foxy. It's faulty. Drakath isn't traveling North anymore. He turned around and he's been heading south for the past few hours. I know. I checked." I say, taking out my miniature crystal ball and hold it out to him to see.

Both the fox and I watch an image of Drakath stumbling through a rainforest towards a beach with the Wind Orb under his arm. There are singe marks on his clothes and scratches similar to the one I sustained from trekking through the forestry. Drakath trips out of the bush and lands face first into the sand. He spits out a mouthful of sand and swears before he picks himself up and runs towards a cave facing the ocean. Water was flowing into the dark and dank cave and Drakath makes his way in. The stalactites hanging from the ceiling drip water and we could hear the drops fall and patter on the cave floor as clearly as if we were standing right next to Drakath. He walks deeper into the cave, boots splashing in the water, to a jagged hole in the ground. He peers in and we see that it was another tunnel. Water had flooded it and more was filling in from the rising tide.

It suddenly occurs to me why Drakath had turned South to this cave instead of the fire caves. I have to swim to get to him now. Fuck.

Drakath slides down the edge of the tunnel and comes to a stop by the edge of the rising water. He glares at the water with great contempt, obviously uncomfortable in the dampness, and whispers something.

"I hate you so much." With that, he takes a deep breath and dives in. I have a feeling that it wasn't the water that he was thinking about.

"Eug, always playing so hard to get," I grumble, pocketing the crystal once more. "As you can see, I don't need help finding or trapping Drakath. He practically does that himself."

"If that is the case then what do you want from me?" Okuchi no Okami eyes me warily, glancing at where I put my crystal away.

"It's not what I want from you. It's what I want for you," I smile almost from ear to ear, offering the chest to him again. "Good job on stealing most of their scrolls but why not have all of them?"

"Is that-?" The fox reaches out towards the box but I quickly pull it back and hold it against my chest.

"Ah-ah-ah, not so fast. This is payment," I wag a finger at him. "But I think you'll like what you have to do in exchange."

"And what would that be?" He says in a much better mood, staring at me and the chest almost hungrily.

"Steal the scrolls and make it look like the pirates did it. Maybe rough up some of the ninjas too." I tap one of the box's locks.

"And how does that benefit you?" Okami questions, sliding up closer to me, his ears perked.

"I want war. Make it bad enough for the ninjas to declare war. I need them both to be deliriously furious at each other," I say, voice almost shaking. "They have to destroy each other and burn." I nearly growl the sentence out and the sides of the fox's mouth pull up.

"May I ask why you want this to happen?"

"Let's just say that I value my friends. I value them all dearly. We'll leave it at that." I glare back at him, daring him to venture further.

"I see…I will take you up on your offer," he grins even wider as he extends a paw.

"There is more I would like to ask of you," He doesn't take back his paw and his grin doesn't waver. "How good are you at forgery?"

"You might as well ask nothing of me."

"Perfect. And I presume you have a way of sending letters?" I press on.

"Of course."

"We have a deal," I place the small chest in his outstretched paw. Suddenly, he grabs my forearm. I jump at the suddenness of his action but the grip wasn't hard. He shakes my arm in some form of a hand shake and the smug look on his face made it clear that he wanted to scare me. I scowl but go along with it.

"I will see that your request is done." He says as takes the chest with his other paw. With the paw still holding my forearm, he slides the grip down to my wrist and then down to clutching my hand. He tilts his sleeved forearm up and my throwing knife slides out and on to my hand as I let go. I glare at his smirk as I pocket the weapon.

"And as further payment, I'll go after Drakath for you. You obviously want that with how you were trying to shove his whereabouts at me before. We might have to wait a few days though." I step back, irritated by his trick. "But I want to know why you want me to go hunt him down. Understand?"

"…Fine. We seem to have the same goals in mind for the moment," He turns, ready to leap off into the thicket. "We will go to my camp. I will forge your letter there and we will discuss further on the matter of the Orb on the way."

"Alright. But we have to walk," I say, moving up behind him. "I'm not a ninja so I can't jump around like you all do. I should ask for lessons from someone. It'd be convenient." I muse, beginning to walk in the direction he was about to leap off in.

"This is more convenient," He grabs me around the waist and throws me over his shoulder before I could protest and he leaps off the ground. I yelp out in surprise watching as we ascend up to the top of the thicket. Though Okuchi no Okami's arm had a firm hold on me, I still clutched at the red cloth on his back.

"The ninja scrolls I have stolen contain ancient knowledge on the Wind Orb," he explains to me as he lands on the top of a bamboo stalk dexterously. "It has taken me years but I have unlocked their secrets and they tell me that I can gain enough power to squash the ninja village if I have the Wind Orb under the right conditions." He continues as he leaps across the top of the thicket.

"What do you mean by condi-Eek!-tions?" I ask, yelping again as he takes another leap.

"I had to obtain the Orb first but Kordana is a powerful foe. All of my attempts before had failed," He scowls as we fly through the air. "That is, until Drakath came to the island under the orders of Sepulcher. He came to me for information and I gave it to him. I was not confident that he would retrieve the Orb but he did somehow. That was when I put my plan into action. I took him back to my camp and while he slept, I gave the orb magical instructions to travel to the Shadow of the Wind Village seven days from now. Once it arrives at the village on that night, I will summon The Iron Fisted Giant, Honda to destroy the village. I can only summon the giant on that night only."

"What kind of a monster is that?" I ask, bracing myself for another jarring landing.

"It is a powerful creature that was meant to protect the Village. With the Wind Orb, I can bend him to my will and destroy the village."

"Heehee, how I do love irony. And that takes care of the ninjas. We'll deal with the pirates then." I say, smiling at the thought.

"You have other allies?"

"Yes and last I saw, they were itching for a fight. But why go through all that trouble giving the Orb to Drakath and sending him away? Why not just take it from him and go to the Village yourself?"

"That is where the condition comes in. According to the scrolls, the Orb will only bring forth the monster if the holder of the Orb meets his greatest…foe, equal, rival or enemy. That is what I speculate it to be."

"Speculate? I thought that you unlocked the secrets of the scrolls?"

"I have or would have. During my raid of the Village, one of the chests of scrolls was lost to ocean. Those scrolls must be destroyed by now but from what I have, having Drakath face his greatest foe must be what is needed for the scrolls. You seem to have a history with the fallen prince. If that is the case then our goals will be met."

"You don't have a nemesis?" I look back at him and the fox scowls.

"No. No one can equal my skills. Not even Thyton." Do they have to be equal? Cause I don't think Drakath and I have equal skill sets. I hope it still works. Maybe I should hold back like usual?

"Wait a minute," I thought comes to mind. "What was the kanji for enemy or rival or whatever…て something…Did I see it somewhere? I did. I know where your missing scrolls are!" My words make Okuchi no Okami halt and come to a stop balancing on one of the bamboo stalks. "I visited the pirates in Osprey. There was a chest that one of the captains had filled with scrolls. I am sure one of them had 大敵 written on it!"

"Which pirate captain has my scrolls?" The fox growls.

"Captain Blackberry of the Red Betty. He has it but I doubt that he can read the scrolls. Won't it be easy to steal from him?"

"The pirates are a sloppy disgusting group. It will be no challenge." he shakes his head eagerly before leaping off again. The motion is jarring and I cry out.

"Since I gave you that bit of info, does that mean I get something else in return?"

"…What do you have in mind?" He asks, wary once more.

"Nothing you can't handle, Foxy. Can I call you that?"

"No."

"Fine but could you at least jump around without the bumping. I feel like a sack of flour." I brace myself for another jarring sensation as he hits the ground, now out of the bamboo thicket. He doesn't let me down though and keeps moving towards the next patch of forestry.

"Would you rather I carry you under my arm?"

"…No," I sigh as he leaps into some leafy trees. "At least your fur is nice and soft." I say out loud by accident.

"…Thank you?" He says after a few beats of silence. The sudden awkwardness of the situation hits me and I become curious about something else.

"Uh…this is a weird question but…did you have to carry Drakath around like this when you took him back to your camp?"

"…Yes?" He answers me like he asking a question. Suddenly I was on a whole other plane of awkward. There's been a lot of that today. The image that came into my mind of Foxy carrying Drakath around like he was carrying me around right now. I wrinkle my brow at the thought and erase it from my mind.

"We are nearing my camp and sneenja army. Perhaps it will be best for you to stay with us until it comes time to face your opponent."

"Seven days…I hope that gives them and myself enough time. How fast can you send the forged letter to the central area of the mainland?"

"Less than a day, child."

"Great. You can also help me out with my other request." I say, holding on for dear life as he scales another tall tropical tree.

From here on in, there won't be any need for more improvisation. I just need to make one phone call. That sounds weird in this era but this has been a weird but satisfying day. For me at least.

* * *

 

**Preparations and Strange Tidings: Side of A**

"Ash! Ash!" Alison sprints into the middle of Falconreach, hysterical and waving a piece of paper in her hands.

"What's going on?" I rush towards her with my backpack of mail making me teeter side to side. Some of the other adventurers and guardians notice her and rush over to find out what was making the person who threw that awesome party the other day so panicked.

"You have to get Eli! Get that Captain Rolith from the other town! Get the King! Ty's one of his knights now right? She needs help!" Alison cries, tears forming at the corners of her eyes.

"Hey now, just calm down and-" Alison throws her arms around me and begins to sob uncontrollably.

"What's wrong?" Eli says, suddenly popping up behind me. I was too freaked out by Alison crying that I hardly even noticed him. I hug her back gently, hoping that it'd make her feel better.

"Is Ty okay?"

Alison doesn't say a word. She shoves the piece of paper she was holding towards Eli. Eli scans the paper and the blood drains from his face.

"Ty…My sister's been kidnapped!" She wails loudly, grabbing the attention of the surrounding adventurers, guardians and villagers.

"This is…" Eli gulps and passes the paper to me. Slowly, I read the lettering with dread.

_**I hope this gets to you soon. You know how this was supposed to be a nice vacation? Well apparently not. We got attacked by both the pirates and ninjas and got stranded on the island. I managed to steal a boat from the pirates so Lilka and Patch could get home. I couldn't go back with them because I found out that there's something strange going on Sho Nuff. Both the ninjas and pirates are going crazy. If you have this letter, that means I got caught. Hurry and tell the others to get ready for an invasion. They're planning to attack in a week so there's enough time to prepare. Must hurry. Sorry. They're coming. I need to send this now or. I need help. Hurry I-** _

It was Ty's writing. The paper was stained red. I swallow hard realizing that it was Ty's blood and that she was hurt somewhere alone.

"H-how did you get this?" I ask Alison as more people gather around us. Aria had pushed through the crowd to see what was going on, Grams following after her. Serenity was peering out of the inn and Yulgar and Konnan had come out of the smithy.

Alison points up to the sky and everyone turns their head up to find a circling hawk.

"She must have sent it away after she got attacked." Alison sobs hard.

"Is that Ty's?" Aria gasped and pointed at the stained paper.

"The hydra slayer got kidnapped?" Someone asks from the crowd.

"War's coming again?"

"Who's attacking?" Another person asks. The crowd begins to murmur and Eli struggles to find words. This isn't good. Everyone's starting to panic.

"What do we do? One of our adventurers got kidnapped!"

"We have to hurry and prepare!"

"But if they managed to catch  _her_  they must be really strong!"

"But who are they?"

"Let me see!" A rogue snatches Ty's letter from me.

"Hey-"

"Pirates and ninjas? Is she on Sho Nuff?" The rogue scans through the letter.

"I thought we weren't allowed to go to Sho Nuff right now. They told me that it was too dangerous!" Another person says.

"Is it the pirates or ninjas attacking?"

"She said she got attacked by both but she didn't say who was invading…" I say nervously, scratching the back of my head as Alison clung on. She got really still all of a sudden and was muttering words under her breath. I can't make out what they are.

"Do you think they're working together to attack us?" The rogue asks.

"No way! They hate each other!" Another adventurer argues.

"But if it's to attack us…"

"They're probably working together to attack us!"

"They're working together!"

All of a sudden, everyone bursts into an uproar shouting insults at the non-present ninjas and pirates and declaring war. What the? What's going on? I know they're angry but they're getting really riled up all of a sudden? What's going on?

"I'm tired of Falconreach being invaded!" The rogue holding Ty's letter hands it back to me as he confronts Eli who had suddenly become quiet.

"It's about time we struck first for once." A mage growls, waving her staff threateningly.

"Yes!" The words jump out of my mouth. "We have to save Ty!" What's going on?

Suddenly I feel a wave of anger and fear for my friend. I can't think straight or reasonably and Alison keeps muttering something, keeping her face buried in my chest.

"Well?" Aria takes quivering steps towards Eli. It was like she wanted to and didn't want to approach him at the same time. "Are you going to give us the okay?"

"We don't know for sure who's attacking," Eli says, trying to think carefully about the situation. His hands were quivering and it looks like he was struggling to retain his rationality.

"It said in the letter didn't it?" The mage steps forward and pokes a finger at Eli's chest, punctuating each word. "Both of those cowards attacked her and now they're going to attack us!"

"Eli!" I yell without realizing. "We have to go to Sho Nuff! We need to save her!"

"Sir, it's obvious!" A guardian steps forward. "If you aren't letting us go and defend ourselves then the adventurers will go themselves. At least let us help them. We must defend Falconreach and protect our own!"

"I-I…" Eli stammers, rubbing his temples. "We…We will prepare to take attack them first. Ty has given us an advantage. We can't let it go to waste." As he speaks, each word becomes firmer and his confused expression becomes one of tranquil fury. "How dare they…Those who wish to fight will leave by tomorrow. Let us make the proper preparations." Eli announces and the large crowd that now stretched from Cysero's tower to Patch's vacant barber shop cheers and scatters, eager to get ready.

"Wha…I don't feel well," I grit my teeth, rubbing my forehead. "Alison are you okay?"

"Hmm? Oh, sorry about that," Alison pulls away from me, tears dried. She takes my hand and traces the different lines on my palm as she whispers a few more words. As soon as she finishes chanting those words, my headache disappears and the pressure that was welling up in my chest vanishes. "Feeling better? I guess I shouldn't have casted that so close to you."

"Casted what?"

"Mmmm, nothing really important. It's just a small push that I gave is all." Alison lifts one of her shoulders in a shrug before walking towards Reens' Apothecary. "Let's go. You heard Eli right? It's time to prepare for revenge."

Revenge? When did he say that?

"C'mon, let's get ready." Alison says and I don't have time to think on it any further.


	24. Flew Right Over Your Head

"It seems that your allies have come just as you have promised," Okuchi no Okami approaches me at the edge of his camp with one of his sneenjas trailing after him. We had just moved again towards the South of Sho Nuff. "Though it seems that they are quite late."

"About six days late," I sigh, checking the message that Alison sent me on the phone she gave me with my back to the fox.

**Sorry about the wait. We were supposed to get there earlier but we had to make arrangements for our transportation across the sea. We ran into Lilka and Patch at Aika. Don't worry, both of them are fine. It was a good thing we ran into them too. After seeing Patch, everyone's fired up. But we won't be attacking quite yet. The ships that we're on are hidden for now. We have people near Osprey and the Village but it seems that the Pirate and Ninja "Alliance" has had a falling out. I'm at Osprey now and the ninjas seemed to have attacked the pirates for no reason that I can see. The pirates have cleared their central town and port of ninjas but they're being put under siege. For sure they'll get their ships together to attack the ninjas in retaliation but once they do, we'll attack in the confusion and cripple them forever. As per your instruction, I'll keep our people from attacking the Village and we'll concentrate on the pirates. I have something real special in store for those disgusting vermin. Took a few days to prepare and I'll be really sick for the next few months to a year if my seals hold but don't worry, I've been itching for some action for almost a century. Anyways, good luck on your end and I'll be contacting you later. Happy hunting.**

"There won't be a need to worry though," I smile, snapping the phone shut. "Nice job fooling the ninjas by the way. From what my sister tells me, the ninjas think they've been duped by the pirates." I look back to the fox, thinking about how Hideyoshi and the others must be doing. "You have all of them now, right? The remaining scrolls from the Shadow of the Wind Village?" The fox nods in reply.

"All that remains is the scroll that was taken by the pirate," Okuchi no Okami says with a ghost of a snarl. "We will retrieve that as well."

"It's about time I set off to find the prince in distress," I gaze up to the sky above the leafy tropical trees. The faint stars in the sky were disappearing in the early morning light.

"The cave that Prince Drakath is now hiding in is at the most Southern tip of the island," The fox steps forward to stand beside me. "At this time, the tide has flooded the cave and the only way in is to go part of the way by boat and the rest by swimming," I wince at the mention of swimming but foxy goes on, not noticing my discomfort. "The water around the cave will be difficult to navigate. We will use the pirates to take you into the cave and you must swim through the caverns to find Drakath. Normally it would be impossible for any regular human to make it through but since the sea has flooded with water breathing potions, it should not be difficult for you to get through."

"Yeah sure," I bite on my cheek. "It shouldn't be a problem to convince the pirates to take me either. They'll be angry but they'd pull all the stops for a chance to turn the tides of the war with the ninjas and eventually Falconreach in their favor," I say as I pull the small crystal ball out of my belt again.

It shows Drakath on the other side of the cave, cold, wet and attempting to get some sleep. The cave was open to the outside and overlooking the sea. Wind was blowing into the cave and it was making him shiver. He was leaning on one of the bigger rocks in the cave, nodding off every now and then but he'd suddenly snap awake, glancing at either the hole that he had crawled out of or the sky as he hugs the Wind Orb close to him. Princey was waiting for someone.

"Well, he shouldn't be kept waiting even if it isn't me he's been waiting for," I pocket the ball before rolling my shoulders back, feeling my joints crack. "Shall we leave?" I glance at Okuchi no Okami who bows his head slightly in response.

"Yes. Have I fulfilled my end of the deal to your satisfaction?" He inquires and I could feel his breath on my neck. He was doing that thing where he was trying to intimidate me or provoke me again by invading my personal space. Why do villains like to do that?

"You've caused a lot of grief for the ninjas, helped me contact my dear friends and you've taught me well these past few days. My legs are aching like crazy but that's to be expected," I step back and bow deeply to him. "I am far beyond satisfied," I say as I straighten up my posture. "Of course I should be. The Ayakashi and my past and current family have always been on good terms. Now, let's get going so I can fulfill my end of the bargain and you can snag the last scroll."

"Gladly." The grin he has is devilish and befitting of him. "A group of my sneenjas and I will accompany you till you reach the cove. We will part ways there and while you discuss traveling to the cave, I will take the scroll. I will also "return" Heiji to the ninjas."

"As in tie him to a barrel and throw him into the sea so he'll drift back home for a traitor's welcome? Sounds like a plan."

Okuchi no Okami laughs then. It sounds relaxed and the sneenja who was standing by his feet looks up at him in amazement.

"I would never have imagined that you of all people would work with me. I do hope that our partnership extends beyond this, Ty. It has been most interesting and rewarding." With that, he leaps off into the trees followed by a squad of his elite sneenjas.

"Hmmm, I never even told you my name, you sneaky fox. But I guess it saves me the trouble telling you." I smirk, focusing energy and magic in my knees as I bend them, just like the fox taught me, ready to join the others.

… **...**

"Hey, it's you! Yer alive!" Meringue limps out from behind one of the shanties in Osprey Cove. "Hurry! Get over here. The ninjas are still sneakin around." He beckons to me, throwing cautious glances around town.

"What happened?" I act surprised at the carnage around me. Now that I was back in my white armor sans the gloves and cape, I had to act like I was with the pirates again. Okuchi no Okami and his team were probably close by, hidden somewhere. They better not get caught by the other ninjas but right now it's really quiet. I don't see any ninjas or pirates around.

Half of Osprey Cove was in flames. Smoke was billowing out from piles of wood that were once buildings and numerous ninja stars were stuck in the ground and walls of the wooden buildings still standing. And then there was the blood. Red was splattered everywhere and created red clumps in the sand. Oddly enough, there were no bodies. I wasn't sure if I should act relieved or freaked out at that fact. It was a good thing that Patch said his family lived on the outskirts of Osprey Cove. They're probably safe out there.

"I'll tell ye later. Let me be gettin ye somewhere safer," Meringue hobbles up to me. His arm and leg were bandaged up tightly but blood was still seeping out of his wounds. I grit my teeth, seeing that and notice that he had four stitches in his cheek. Realizing that I was staring at it, Meringue smiles and ruffles his slightly red stained blond hair. "Don't ye be worryin too much, lass. Some tarts like their men scarred."

"Eh?...Let's just go," I huff, stomping my way past him. "Where is everyone? I need to speak with the captain."

"They be at the docks on the Red Betty. We be plannin to strike back," Meringue grunts, struggling to catch up to me. "The ninjas surprised attacked us yesterday. Those sneaky rats have done that a lot before but they ne'er been this ruthless." Meringue tries keeping up with his injured leg, not asking for any help. Annoyed at his effort to keep up, I slow down to a stop and pull his uninjured arm over my shoulder. "Thank ye, lass," He says as we get closer to the docks. The destruction here wasn't so bad. There weren't any fires and not that much blood around. It was just eerily quiet.

"So? What about the ninjas being ruthless?" I grumble at Meringue, trying not to look at his grateful smile. How is this guy a pirate?

"Normally those ninjas attack quick and lea'e quick. This time they're burning and leaping all o'er the place. They be demanding that we gi'e em back their scrolls and the hostages. What would we want with a bunch o useless scrolls and when did we a ninja hostage? We fought back o course. We hauled the cannons in and fought those ninjas off. They be hidin fer now. But they'll be back fer-"

I gasp suddenly feeling something hit my back. Meringue curses, reaching for his pistol and shouts.

"They be here already!" Meringue winces as we start our rush towards the docks, kicking up sand as we went.

Would it matter if someone saw my face now? Maybe? They think Yumiko's been kidnapped by the pirates again. If they see my face they might get the impression that Yumiko's also siding with the pirates. I might need to use her identity again so it'll be inconvenient if they did.

Even with that in mind, I dared to take a glance back. Ninjas, fully armored and armed, stood atop of the roofs of the shanties. The sight of all of them staring down at us made me freeze up. The ninjas, however, show no hesitation and surge forward. Almost all of them ignore us and move on but three leap down, throwing a volley of shuriken as they land.

Meringue, embarrassingly enough, reacts faster than I do and throws us both on the ground just as the shuriken fly over us. Suddenly, I hear several thunderous bangs followed by screaming and laughter. Meringue and I look up and Meringue whoops. From behind the buildings down the road behind us, groups of pirates had come out, cannons lit and ready to fire.

"Ye aren't the only ones who know how to be sneaky," One of the pirates guffaws beside his cannon just as a ninja rises up behind him and strikes him down with a quick chop to the neck. The pirate is stunned for a moment on the ground before he groans and picks himself up as another pirate takes a shot at his assailant.

Sensing that things were going to get chaotic, I haul Meringue up and we both run past the line of trigger happy pirates. Meringue groans as we get closer to the docks, more because he was missing out on the action than because he was in a lot of pain.

"Lass, ye got somethin stuck in yer back," He says, pulling out a kunai that was imbedded in my armor and throwing in on the ground in annoyance. "Mind checkin if I got any?"

I glance at his back and choke on my spit. He had eight blades in his back. I had a feeling it was because he was the one who pushed us down to try to dodge them in the first place.

Shit, stop acting like this. I can't…

"You are going to have a lot of scars," I look straight ahead as we step on to the docks. The other pirates were rushing past us, cannonballs, pistols or swords in hand. Others were pulling or pushing more cannons to the action in town. The Red Betty was moored right at the end of the docks, its sail up and crew hustling on and off the boat with supplies. Rhubarb stood on deck by the rail overlooking his fellow crew members work. There's a long gash down his arm but he stands with a confident posture directing his men. Once he catches sight of me and Meringue, he wastes no time coming down the gangplank to meet us.

"This guy might be in need of some help," I say dryly, trying to hide the quiver in my voice. Rhubarb grimaces at Meringue's back and Meringue is really out of it.

"Something smells like…dog?" Meringue gurgles and Rhubarb signals for two of his crew to take him away for medical assistance. They immediately come over and pick Meringue up without any questions. They run up ahead across the boarding ramp and we follow after them.

"You…Josephine, are ye injured?" Rhubarb asks without taking his eyes off of Meringue's back.

"Aren't you going to ask if I have the Pearl or not?" I ask back, glancing at him as we step on deck confused at his question. His arm was bleeding pretty badly but his look of determination tells me that he had no intention of wasting time by getting it patched up. The cons outweighed the pros in my mind but the act of standing there with his bleeding arm with that expression made him look like a force to be reckoned with.

He regards me for a moment as we follow the other three pirates below the deck. The below-deck had become a makeshift infirmary that was bursting at the seams. A cacophony of groaning and pained screams of pain from the pirate doctors ministrations. One of them was swinging a hammer around.

"Where's the heart?" Someone yells desperately. "I don't know how to do this! I'm sorry!" A pistol shot goes off and I decide that the doctor must have been wearing two eye-patches.

"Here," Rhubarb points to an empty space on the floor beside some crates by a door to the supply room. The two pirates carrying Meringue put him face down on a blanket and we all stare at his back turned pin cushion. "Isn't bad." Rhubarb concludes and the other two pirates leave.

"If ye don't mind, I'd like one of ye to handle this," Meringue says, lifting his head up as another pistol shot goes off and a peg leg flies over my shoulder.

"I made it through the ruins," I state without any emotion as I kneel beside Meringue. Most of the weapons weren't that deep and they the wounds could be closed quickly with the help of some potions. "But when I got to the end, the Pearl wasn't there," I say as I rip up the back of Meringue's shirt so I could handle the wounds easier. "It was stolen." I say, tugging a kunai out of Meringue's back watching as he muffles a scream and struggles to stay still.

"It was stolen?" Meringue squeaks, digging his nails into his palms from the pain. I couldn't see Rhubarb's reaction but his silence is telling.

"Don't freak out," I sigh, pinching the wound shut as I pull out one of the potion bottles in my belt. I open the potion bottle with my teeth and douse the small wound with a little red potion. "The ghost lady who had the Pearl before told me who took it. I tracked him down too." I try to get a glimpse at Rhubarb. He seems contemplative but nervous about my news. "I just need some help getting to him. I'll get you your Pearl if you give me a ride. From the looks of it, you need it in your hands as soon as you can…But I suppose your captain won't be happy about it. Am I going to lose an eye?" I smirk and Meringue turns to look at me, horrified.

"I'll take care of it," Rhubarb says firmly. "You," he glares at one of the pirate doctors holding jar of wriggling octopus tentacles…I think. It resembles that. "Help this one." He motions down to Meringue before walking away, signaling me to follow. Meringue starts to sputter when he sees the smiling doctor coming closer to him.

"H-hey. Wait! I'm fine actually!" He stutters to the guy with the octo-jar as I walk away. "At the least say bye," I stop and stare back at him, forgetting to hide my astonishment. Meringue weakly raises one of his hands in farewell. "Ye be a pretty bonny lass. I grew up in Osprey and I don't leave the island much. Ye look like a lass with a lot o stories to tell so…later sometime?" His lips pull up into a laidback yet hopeful smile.

"…Sure." I turn my back on him quickly before I'd say something that might compromise me.

Weaving through the injured and even more disfigured pirates to catch up to Rhubarb, I notice that they were all regarding Rhubarb with as much respect as I saw the knights, guardians and heroes gave King Alteon back at that time. They created a clear path for him to the ramp up to the deck and as he went, the noises got softer. He might as well have been the captain. Why isn't he?

"Where's Captain Blackberry?" I catch up to Rhubarb as we get to the deck. Rhubarb nods over to the captain's cabin. Crap, he's inside. If the fox is going to sneak in then I'm going to have to get him to step out.

The door swings open suddenly and the captain of the Red Betty saunters out, focusing in on me from across the deck. I cough, startled by how well timed that was. Rhubarb slaps my back subtly and whispers something about standing straighter.

"Welcome back, lass," Blackberry grins as he walks across the deck to us. The other pirates had stopped what they were doing the moment he stepped out and the deck became silent. "Gather around, boys. Our little lass just brought back me key to victory. Show em, lass. The Wind Pearl." A rather large crowd of pirates gather around us, whooping and cheering as Blackberry stands next to me with a really gross hand placed on my shoulder.

"Erm…about that…"I laugh nervously as I scan the crowd. The pirates look pretty beat up and that's saying something for a group known for missing body parts. The surprise ambush must have hit them hard.

"Josephine doesn't have the Pearl yet." Rhubarb steps in and I feel Blackberry stiffen as he slowly turns his head down to stare at me with his beady shark eyes. The smile falls to an unamused frown as the cheering abruptly cuts off. Unhappy didn't really describe the majority of the pirates' reactions. Many looked scared actually.

"And the lass decided to come back anyway? Sounds like suicide to me," Blackberry grins as he articulates his words and I feel his grip on my shoulder tighten.

"I don't have Pearl right now but I'll get it!" I try to get some words in before Blackberry tries to do anything like shove me overboard. "I know where the Pearl is. Someone else has it! I can tell you where they are and I'll get it back. I-"

"Really now?" Blackberry yanks on my shoulder, making me face him. "As you can see, we may be in dire need for the Pearl," I take a scan of the roughed up crowd again. They were all glaring at me and whispering amongst themselves. Some idly played with the swords and pistols hanging in their belts. Blackberry, in contrast to his crew, was spotless in a sense. He hadn't stepped one foot in battle and maybe he was looking for scapegoat. "I be not a man of mercy nor second chances. And I 'ave ne'er though to give any to an outsider. I not be fond o failure aboard me Red Betty." He says the last part in a growl.

Shit, this isn't going well. I was sure they were going to give me a ride if they were desperate enough.

"Hey now. There need for anyone to walk the plank or get fed to the sharks or anything like that." I say and rush my words, trying to make up something convincing in my head.

"Perhaps there be a need fer someone to get gutted and chopped up fer shark bait," Blackberry sneers and raises his hook. "What does this fine lass say ta that?" He asks loudly so everyone can hear. By the sounds of it, they were suggesting that I should agree.

I feel like a floundering fish on deck and I couldn't for the life of me stop myself from gasping when he starts prodding the underside of my chin with the business end of his hook. This isn't good.

"This lass has gotten closer to gettin the Pearl than any other pirate alive," Rhubarb says through gritted teeth, pulling me away from Blackberry and silencing the crew. "I can't say I be proud of the fact that a little guppy mana'ed to get farther than any o' me own men."

I gape at both Rhubarb and Blackberry. What Rhubarb just did would be considered insolent and enough to merit him getting thrown off the ship or worse. No one was moving. The only sound I could hear was the creaking of the ship and my own staggered breathing. Are we both going to die?

Blackberry leers at Rhubarb and I can see him grinding his black teeth but he lets Rhubarb continue.

"This isn't just a ninja ambush like before. The ninjas be declaring an all-out war. I say we take every chance we can get to win ourselves the upper hand. She be a landlubber but you all saw what she did to the ninjas that the lot of you let escape. That may be why we be at war now."

"They escaped?" I ask, acting disbelief. "But I literally wrapped them up for you." I glance over to the surrounding crew and see embarrassment.

"She's a suave lass. Knows how to get the job done with a bit o flair. Too much if ye ask me but she got the job done and she will get this job done. Won't ye?" He turns to me, expectant.

"Of course I will! I'm not letting those ninjas win! Never!" I spit, earning some cheering from the crew.

Yes, it's working!

But then there's still Blackberry.

The captain narrows his eyes at Rhubarb like he was contemplating his next move. Then his smirk returns and he laughs.

"Well o course the lass is," His grimy hand was on my shoulder again and I keep myself from shivering. "Ye seem worried. Did ye think that I was goin to do somethin to ye?"

"Uh, you were talking about throwing someone to the sharks so…" I begin nervously and he laughs even harder at that. I feel small spit droplets hit my face as he does.

"Ne'er said it was going to be you overboard," The captain says, winking like we were sharing a joke. Rhubarb raises his brow at the statement and the noise from the crew died down again. As that was happening, I saw a streak of white and red sneak into the open door to the captain's cabin.

"Then…who?" I venture as he pats my shoulder before letting go.

"Me first mate Rhubarb be a stickler for honor and I admit, it gets on me nerves," he waves his hook in Rhubarb's direction. "But he can spot character and talent. Got an eye for that. The eye that he has left. Harharhar," Only a portion of the crew laughs with him and Rhubarb barely hides the anger in his glare. "So tell me, lass. Who swiped me Pearl from right under yer nose?" He inquires almost jokingly, poking the blunt part of his hook under my nose.

"Just some guy named Drakath," I roll a shrug off my shoulders. "He's hiding in a cave right on the Southern tip of the island. I tried sailing there myself this morning but the currents were too difficult for me to navigate. That's why I came here. To get help from someone with superior sailing skills."

"Drakath, eh?" Blackberry rubs his chin thoughtfully. I was waiting for something dead to fall out of his beard but I was out of luck there. "Sounds like a ninja to me. I'll take ye to that cave. Fair warning, lass. Ye have to swim through the cave and it be more dangerous at high tide but we don't have any time to lose. Ye bring that Pearl to me and I'll reward you kindly."

"No need for that," I shake my head, glancing at the captain's cabin to watch the fox sneak away with the chest of scrolls. "I'll be perfectly content if you use the Pearl to destroy the ninjas. That's all I need." At that, Blackberry laughs again with his pirates as Rhubarb looks on with what seems like displeasure.

"A ruthless one aren't ye. Bloodthirsty and brutal ye are. Ye be perfect pirate material, lass," he compliments as the other pirates laugh, cheer and whistle. "Yer good enough to be me number one."

"What?" I feel my heart thud in my chest.

The crew that now filled the deck to the brim and stood on the docks below were just as surprised as I was, going completely and utterly in shock. What was he doing? Rhubarb's right here!

By the looks of it, many of the crew members didn't look happy. Many were glaring daggers into my head and at their captain. It was on an uncontrolled reflex that I glance back at Rhubarb for help. Rhubarb didn't look at me. He gives Blackberry a stony stare but makes no attempt at challenging him or even protesting.

I dart my eyes over to the crew. None of them knew how to hide where their loyalties lay. You could easily tell which were all for Rhubarb and which didn't care.

And suddenly it made a lot of sense.

"Rhubarb, I'll be takin the lass and The Betty to the cave. You stay an' keep the ninjas out," Blackberry orders his first mate. Blackberry starts picking out the crew members that were going to go with us, effectively separating the people who looked like they were going to murder him the first chance they got and the rest. "By tomorrow, I want the lot of you to strike the ninjas. I'll leave the plannin ta you as per usual. But the injured down below be stayin with me. No need fer them to hold ye back." Blackberry tips his hat to his first mate before walking back to the captain's cabin.

"Um…I-I don't want to…" I try talking to Rhubarb who had remained composed and silent as Blackberry split up the pirates. My words were coming out disjunct and jumbled.

"Bear with me fer now," Rhubarb says under his breath, barely moving his lips making sure no one else heard before turning to the rest of the pirates. "You heard him. Get movin or I'll be the one to cut ye up an' throw ye to Davy Jone's Locker."

The crew replies with an enthusiastic "Aye Aye" before dispersing and running down the gangplank. That left me behind on the ship with only Blackberry, his supporters and the injured pirates below who I'm sure Blackberry is using as hostages over Rhubarb's head should he disobey.

He's smarter than he looks.

Rhubarb was already halfway down the gangplank when it occurred to me that he told me to wait it out. What did he mean?

"Keep yer arms an' hands inside the craft at all times, lass," A pirate jokes as he walks past me, jolting me out of my shock. "By the looks o it, the ride'll be long so strap yerself down."

"Uh, sure." I mutter as he walks away. Suddenly feeling too exposed and practically burning under the hot sun, I walk to the open hatch that leads below deck. Maybe I can pass the time down there and think something up.

The hatch slams shut just before I could step in and I realize that Blackberry was standing almost right in front of me, staring me down.

"Day's mighty fine, lass," He grins at me and I struggle not to recoil at the sight of it. He steps forward on to the hatch getting closer to me. "Why not enjoy the sun before ye go spelunkin around fer yer little friend stuck in the cave."

"Uh…sure I guess," I turn my back to him and head for the railing of the ship. As I left, I heard the distinct sound of a padlock locking.

As I lean on the railing, feeling the stare of the other pirates bore into my back like a target had magically appeared on it, I gaze out to the sea. Trying to think of something that could save me in this situation, I watch the choppy waves slap against the hull of the ship.

"The cave looked small so they'll probably send me in on a smaller boat," I mutter to myself, clasping my hands together over the railing. "If I'm lucky, it'll be three or less that they'll send to accompany me. I think I can handle bashing three over the head and dropping them in the water. Then I'll find Drakath, activate the Orbs power and hopefully I can grab on to him when the Orb takes the distressed prince to the Shadow of the Wind Village so I can watch the carnage."

I could do that no problem. Then I can be on my way back to Falconreach.

"This sucks. I really like the weather here," I rest my head on the rail, feeling the sea breeze brush against my cheeks. "Maybe when this is all over, I'll take Alison and Ash out to the beach back in Aika. That'd be nice."

… **...**

"This the place?" I lean over the railing of the Red Betty to get a closer look at the cave. The tide was very high. The cave was half submerged in sea water and I could see dark shapes under the water's surface moving in and out.

"Don't see any other cave do ye?" Blackberry asks me, grinning at the flooded cave greedily. "The dinghy's ready for ye to get'em." He pats me on the shoulder, pointing down at a small boat floating by the Red Betty that the other pirates had lowered down to the water's surface.

"Who are you sending with me?" I question Blackberry, glancing over the crew of expectant looking pirates as I walk over to the rope ladder that led down to the dinghy.

"Ye can't handle 'im yerself?" Blackberry asks me laughingly. "Surely a lass of yer skill doesn't need any help."

I stop and turn back to gape at him. He's going to let me go in there alone? What if I decide I wanted the Orb? Letting me go alone doesn't sound very logical. Or maybe I overestimated this scumbag.

"Of course I can," I retort, catching myself. "I can handle anything." I boast, standing straighter as I near the railing. "I'll take care of Drakath and bring your Pearl back but you better eliminate the ninjas with it."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, lass." Blackberry nods as the other pirates gather around. "Ye leave that part to me."

"No problem," I shoot Blackberry and his crew a confident smirk before climbing down the ladder to the rocking dinghy. There were two oars in the boat that were dented slightly and had faint red stains.

Taking a seat in the dinghy, I grab the oars and begin paddling with my back facing the cave. As I row, I feel the strong currents pushing the boat towards the cave. Had I tried getting here without the help of the pirates or, by some stroke of idiocy, decided to swim here, I would've gotten sucked straight to the bottom or swept off course. The currents weren't as strong here but there were miniature whirlpools dotting the surface and I heard the pirates whispering earlier that the currents and winds were unnatural.

"The air feels weird I suppose," I mumble out loud to myself as I continued rowing. Thanks to the currents pushing the dinghy towards the cave, I didn't have to do much work. It was like the cave wanted me to come inside. I was nearing the mouth of the cave and I swear I can see Blackberry's beady shark eyes glint from here.

The cool breeze that was blowing into the cave was making strands of my hair flutter about and it feels almost relaxing. If it weren't for the fact that I was in dangerous waters and the dark shapes swimming around below the surface were bumping into the dinghy, I'd feel laid back and excited to go meet up with Princey.

"I can't wait to see the look on his face," I sigh contentedly as I row the dinghy into the cave.

As I enter the cave, I found that the air was cool and comfortable and it wasn't as dark as I thought it was going to be. Some light still shined into the cave and the light reflected off the water and on to the cave walls and the dripping stalactites. There was enough room for me to stand and I could see far down the cave. It really isn't all that bad in here.

Maybe the swim won't be as bad either. Maybe the tunnel isn't completely submerged and I can go meet Princey by boat. Hee Hee, I just can't wait to throw him up against the wall. It's been a while since our last meeting so maybe he's a bit better with his swordplay. I could even go harder on him if I want. And his eyes! I want to-

"AAAACKKK!" Sharp teeth sink into my hand and I yelp in pain, dropping one of the oars into the water. "Libérta, what was that for?" I growl at him, holding my probably swollen and bruising hand up as he dangled from it.

"You were making a stupid looking face, Butterbrain," Lib releases my hand and leers at me in annoyance. He had snuck out of my bag and the shade of deep velvety red his scales had changed to matches the glare that he was giving me. "And you've been keeping me in the bag for the past week. I can hardly breathe in there."

"Well you survived didn't you? It was safer in there than outside with the fox or the pirates." I shoot back at him, wanting very badly to hit him over the head with the oar that I had left. Unfortunately that was child abuse and I won't sink that low. Probably.

"It smells weird in there. I think the sneevil might be dead," He sticks his tongue out. I thought that he was about to spray me in the face again but he flies out of the boat and hovers over the surface of the water instead. "Here. The tunnel that the bandit used is down here."

"Oh…so it is," I stutter, averting my eyes to the darker patch of water. Crap, I thought it was farther down from here. "Hmmmm, do you think it'll get lower if we wait?" I suggest, hopeful as I pull out my cape and gloves from my bag.

"You're stalling, Butterbrain," he states, sounding amused.

I scowl at him, trying to keep my hands from shaking as I slip my gloves on and fasten the cape around my neck.

"I noticed," I snap, trying to brace myself but to no avail. "Come on. I can do this. It isn't even open water!" I slap both my cheeks and squish them together in an attempt to pump myself up.

Ten minutes later, I was still pinching my cheeks telling myself that I could make the swim if I kept my eyes closed. Lib was tugging on my cape and making irritated grunts as he did.

"Why are you so afraid? You can breathe under water now!" He huffs out, annoyed. "Is it because you can't swim? You can just walk across the bottom."

"It's not that!" I burst out, throwing the oar against the cave wall and smashing it. Lib, taken aback by my outburst, immediately lets go and flies back to put distance between us as my shout echoes through the cave.

"Calm down!" He circles the dinghy as I lay my head down on my lap and clutched at my hair.

Just thinking about going down into the water, being barely able to move and exposed to attack from all sides scares the shit out of me. I can't move I can't move I can't move I-

"Hey. Snap out of it!" I feel Lib nudging my arm. "Uhg, what do humans do to calm down?" He mutters to himself. "Deep breaths. Take them. Do you want to eat something? Do you want to eat a lot of things? Hmmmm," he tries but I barely take notice. "You wanna beat something up?" he suggests, voice nearing something that resembled gentleness. "Wanna go beat Drakath up?" He asks like he's asking a child if they wanted to go out for ice cream after a particularly bad day at school.

It works, however, and I peek up at the mention of Drakath's name. Lib seems somewhat displeased and frustrated at this but presses on.

"Let's beat the crap of him. All you need to do is cross the water. That's all. Probably won't even take that long." He says as I slowly sit up straight.

"I guess." I say rather reluctantly but still scoot closer to the edge of the boat. Eyeing the shifting water with suspicion, I reach out, courting danger as I did.

The feeling of my phone vibrating in my belt startles me and I quickly retract my hand. Lib groans in defeat as I flip open the phone.

"Alison?"

"Ty, how are you doing?" She asks from her end as she lies on a hammock. She was in a lacey puffy dress as usual but this time it was shorter than her usual ones and a little bit thinner. She was wearing a black hairband in her now wavy orange hair. Gold bracelets encircle both of her wrists. I recognize that hairband and the bracelets. That doesn't bode well for the pirates.

"I could be better," I answer her, almost jumping in surprise when one of the dark shapes bumps the boat. "I see that you're armed. Are you sure you want to do this?" I ask her, worried.

"Hey, Ty? You know how Patch and I talk a lot right?" She brings up all of a sudden. The picture shakes as she rearranges her crystal ball. It was a bit dark and it looks like she's below the deck of the boat right now. "He really loves cutting hair. His eyes light…they lit up every time a customer looked in the mirror and smiled at his work. He jumped at the chance to cut hair for a friend of a friend. You to be exact," She fiddles with one of the bracelets on her wrist and for a split second, I see a bone shift under skin above her collar bone and she winces. "I treasure my family and my friends. Especially if they don't live quite as long. He did something nice for me for free and he really enjoyed it. He can't do that anymore if he's blind. His whole life and joy was mostly based around the fact that he could see people being delighted in his work. He can't have that any more let alone doing what he loves. So in exchange for ruining a dear friend's life, we should be the ones to take the lives of the people who have done this. It is partly our fault after all. We asked him to take you."

"…Yes." I say, voice quivering and nails digging into my palms.

"I'll take the pirates and you get the ninjas. You did most of the planning and execution and I'm proud of you for that. Let me meet this Okuchi no Okami as well. He sounds like an interesting character," Alison laughs then, her eye twitching slightly.

"By tomorrow, I'll have the Village razed to the ground. Let's see if you can beat that," I say, bringing sport into my…our plan of revenge.

"Challenge accepted. But before I go, guess who's coming to stay with us until further notice. Apparently with there being no sign of  _them_  coming after us, it's safer for us to move around again," She says in a sing-song voice. "It's a good thing the two of them are coming too. I won't be able to control the house if I'm going to become weaker again."

"Two…" I think through my family members. "Eric and Blaire? They're coming?" I ask, feeling excitement. Blaire…if she's coming then this is perfect! Even more perfect than before. "Alison! I need to ask you a favor."

"Shoot. I'm good for it." She replies, twirling a strand of orange hair around her finger.

I whisper and explain my plan to her and she raises her brow in amusement.

"Well if that's the case, why don't you ask Blaire yourself?" Alison says before waving a hand over her crystal ball.

The image on the screen of my phone splits in two. One side shows Alison and in the other, an image of Blaire reading a book on a plush black couch flickers on.

At first, I thought she didn't notice me but she greets me as soon as she flips the page of her book.

"Alison. Ty," She says our names monotonously as a way of greeting and says no more. Her red eyes were focusing on the words of her book. "Eric is packing. If you wish to speak to him then you must wait a few moments. I presume he will arrive here in ten to fifteen minutes."

"Awww, but Blaire. I wanted to talk to you," I giggle to my sister and Lib stares at her appraisingly. "How are you? What are you reading? Are you having a good time in New Meridian? That's the name of the place right? Have you learned any more songs? See anything interesting?" I bombard her with questions momentarily forgetting my situation.

"I feel mild today. I am reading a book on this country's recent war. I am having a fair time in New Meridian. Yes, that is the correct name. I have not learned nor composed any songs. The town is interesting." She answers my questions in order and continues reading.

"She talks weird," Lib comments on my sister's accent.

"At least shake it up a bit, Blaire. You sound as enthusiastic as I was when I had to go talk to John. Which is to say not at all." Alison shakes her head.

Blaire glances up for a moment, expression unchanging, before going back to reading.

"That's your way of saying you're annoyed?" Alison asks wryly. "For someone who looks like a ten year old, you sure pull off the old librarian look like a pro."

I frown at Alison's description of her. Sure, Blaire might seem a bit cold, aloof, quiet, distant, uncaring…dismissing…indifferent…Maybe I should stop but anyone with eyes can tell that she's really emotional. It's just that they have to look really hard and maybe with a microscope.

And how does she look like an old librarian? She looks so tiny and cute on that couch. Her white hair was long enough to reach down to her belly but somehow she can keep it straight and orderly without much effort. She's more charming and mystifying if you ask me.

"That's not really nice, Alison." I say, trying not to sound scathing.

"And here's the favoritism," Alison rolls her eyes but smiles genuinely. "Ty has something she wants to ask you."

"What may it be?" Blaire closes her book and faces me, pushing her gold rimmed glasses up her nose.

"I think it's something that you can do but if it's too much then it's fine if you don't want to."

"Tell me."

I rerun my explanation to Blaire. She nods and asks questions every now and then and helps fix the holes in my plans. It takes about half an hour for the three of us to rewire my plans and Lib falls asleep halfway through.

"That will not cause me harm but it may take some time. I will study the conditions." Blaire says when we finally finish. She opens her book again and goes back to reading.

"Thank you. You are amazing," I smile brightly at her and the sides of her mouth twitches up for a split second before falling back into her usual expression.

"It's about time for me to get up there now," Alison says, gazing up at the ceiling of her room. "We'll be giving the pirates warning shots soon to demand your "release." The pirates will deny the accusations, retaliate and give me full reason to defend myself. You can't keep that guy waiting forever."

"Right," I say hesitantly, glancing back at the darker patch of water.

"You will go through water for this boy?" Blaire muses though not showing much sign of interest beyond that comment. "Don't you only cross water for… _important_  matters? Like the times with Virelai. Or when Beathan was trapped behind that waterfall."

"It's not like that," I shake my head. "It's essential to the plan and that's all."

"Right," Alison coughs. "Tell eight that I said hi and to watch his back for a bit. Since Blaire and Eric can come here now, that means that a few familiar faces might decide to pop by too. The way he's carrying himself around is dangerous. Draws too much attention." Alison says cryptically. "But anyways, we should all get going. Blaire, when are you and Eric going to get here?"

"About a week or so," Blaire answers, closing her book. "I wish the both of you luck. I will join Eric," She says as we hear a loud blast go off close by. "It seems that there is a fight outside again. Excuse me. I should go and see if Eric needs help." Blaire sighs at the annoyance and fades away into thin air leaving the book to fall down on the couch open to the page she was on before. A strong gust of wind shuts the book and the image goes dark.

"I think we're almost ready to attack now. I just need to give the others a tiny push," Alison says, sliding off of her hammock.

"How's Ash? Is he okay?" I ask her, hoping that Ash wasn't too worried.

"His leg is healed now but his arm's going to take a few more days. He's concerned and no matter how many times that I say that you can handle yourself, he still agonizes over your kidnapping hoping that nothing terrible has happened. He might be feeling a little guilty since he can't do much with a mending arm."

"Cheer him up for me, will you?" I think over a few concerns. "And since you're attacking Osprey first…there are two people I want you to find and keep out of the fray. They were nice."

"Who? Two people are easy enough and if they were nice to you, why not?" Alison shrugs. "I'll thank them too."

"One is named Meringue. He's injured and on the Captain's boat right now. They won't be moving for a while though and you'll recognize the ship right away when it comes. The other is Rhubarb. He's the first mate," I describe their appearances and Alison nods.

"Done. I'll see to their safety. But you do know that they'll be very mad."

"But they'll also be alive. That's as much kindness I can give them."

"Harsh but I think it's fair," Alison cracks her knuckles. "Just a heads up. You know we're going to have to keep this a secret between the three of us. Blaire's fine with this kind of thing. Emesto, Justine, Bradley and even John would be all for it but…"

"Eric will disappointed, Nova, Saya, Domenico and Arisa won't like it and if Arisa is sad, Lyla will be furious." I shudder.

"We won't be able to speak to her for a while if she finds out when the two of them wake up. And I just made myself depressed. Tsk." Alison furrows her brow.

"They'll wake up soon for sure," I promise my sister and myself. "They're fine."

The two of us go silent for a while, thinking back to the fiasco that happened just over a year ago. Libérta yawns and stretches, waking up from his mini-nap

"Umm, good luck on your end." I say finally, getting back to the present.

"I don't need it." Alison smiles once more before her image goes dark too. Sighing to myself, feeling a bit tired, I close my phone and put it back in my belt.

"Now are you ready?" Lib asks me, irritated.

"Kill everything in the cave."

"What?" Lib coughs.

"You heard me. My talk with my sisters gave me some time to think and I realized that I would feel much better going through the cave if everything that might try to kill me down there was dead," I motion to the dark shapes under the surface. "So do that thing where you change elements and electrocute the shit out of this cave."

"Are you insane?" Lib stares at me with his jaw hanging open.

"Probably. Look, I'm not budging until I know for sure that nothing in there is going to murder me." I cross my arm resolutely. Maybe stubbornly would be a better word to describe what I was doing.

"No. What if I kill everything else in the ocean? What then?"

"Pfft, it'll be fine. What's one ruined ecosystem? I study this shit. The corpses will sink to the floor, rot, attract more life forms and start anew. It'll take a while but it'll happen. And I've electrocuted an entire river before. It didn't kill everything in the ocean and no one complained…that I knew of so there." I nod, feeling the wind get a bit stronger.

"I-I it, no I can't…why are you….RRRRRRRRRGGGGGGG," He groans angrily, hitting the floor of the dinghy with his tail. "What if we electrocute ourselves?"

"The dinghy's made of wood. Wood is an insulator. It should be fine."

"But it's in the water."

"Just electrify the water. We aren't going anywhere until you do."

"You are useless," Lib concludes before hopping up and flying over the water in front of the dinghy. His scales shift, from the tale up, to electric blue. I guess he likes blue better than yellow. He glares back at me for a second but takes a deep breath in and shoots out a ray of pure electrical energy.

The moment the ray hits the surface of the water, the entire inside of the cave lights up as bright sparks jump across the water's surface. One leaps into the dingy and leaves a singe mark at my feet.

The light show ends when the last of the sparks fizzle out and a grey shape floats to the surface. It was a humanoid grey shark man. It was incredibly muscular and smells incredibly terrible. Like burnt soggy shark on that one Monday that my family went for sushi in a back alley.

More of them pop up and I clamp my hands over my nose and mouth to keep from throwing up. Most of them were floating face down but there were a few that were face up and my gods they look bad.

"Now will you go?" Lib flies back into the dinghy somewhat tiredly. "I think that killed everything. So will you?"

"Hell no."

"I'm sorry, Butterbrain. I thought I you just said no. Now hurry up and jump in." Lib says with a quivering voice.

"Fuck no," I punctuate my words, recoiling at the sight of the waterlogged corpses. Gross.

"But everything's dead now. Nothing's going to attack," He growls angrily.

"I guess I didn't think it through well enough," I say, averting my gaze from the filleted fish people. How did Drakath get past them? Maybe they weren't here when he came in. "I'm not getting into the water with those things. No."

"B-but I…Come on. Are you a coward?" Lib tries provoking me.

"Sure." I shrug as one of the floating corpses bump into the dinghy.

"…I actually wanted it to come down to this." Lib says after a pause, shifting his scales back to velvety red as the wind was blowing stronger. My hair was flying around so I pull my hood up.

"What are you-" Before I could duck or get out of the way, Lib breathes out a stream of flames at my shoulder. It wasn't a huge blast and it really wasn't even that hot but it was enough to set part of my cape on fire. I tried smothering the fire with the rest of my cape but that just made the fire spread. Growing frantic, I glance at Lib who was looking like a very smug bastard right now.

I could just lean over and dip my cape into the water but knowing him, he was just going to push me in. With that in mind, I debate which was better. Potentially burning to death or jumping into dead shark people water and surviving. The answer was clear in my mind.

I cross my arms, close my eyes and prepare to let the flames engulf me.

"Hey. Butterbrain? Aren't you going to jump in?" Lib asks uncertainly. I could smell my own hair start to burn.

"Don't feel like it." I pout, not opening my eyes or budging. I feel tugging at my arms but I stay rigid. "You either put the fire out or the fire puts me out."

"You're going to die! Are you stupid, Butterbrain?" Lib snarls. "What am I saying? Of course you are." I open one of my eyes to find that my useless dragon decided to just sit in front of my feet facing away from me. "Two can play at this game. See if I care."

"Fine."

Both of us sit there in complete silence surrounded by dead shark people while a fire was roaring on my back. Yeah, it was starting to hurt but like hell am I giving in. But at this rate, the wind was going to put it out for me.

"Hurry up and jump in already!" Lib yells, thumping his tail on the ground angrily.

"What? I can't hear you over the wind." It was true. The wind had been whipping up into a frenzy and it was getting difficult to keep the boat balanced.

"I said HURRY UP AND JUMP IN ALREADY!"

"NO!" I yell back at him. The wind, as if it was responding to my answer, blows even harder and now it was howling through the cave. I grip my seat as tightly as I can, trying to brace the wind. Where the hell did it come from?

"Just do it! You'll die if you don't!"

"That's only if you don't put it out!" I yell over the wind's howling. "If you don't, then fine! I'll just die!"

At my words, the wind practically screams and all it takes was one strong gust to suddenly flip the boat.

I freeze up at first, feeling myself splash into the cold water. The currents below suck me downwards as I struggle. Water floods into my lungs when I gasp by accident. I scream at the surprise of being able to breathe as the water throws me around. I scrape against the rock floor of the cave and the jolt of that makes me open my eyes. Swirling around me were the fried bodies of the shark people. For some reason, that made me scream harder.

Teeth clamp down on my forearm and I was about to rip whatever was biting me apart but it was Lib. Just as I realize that, the current picks up again and I get swept away down the nearby tunnel. I keep screaming from the sensory overload as Lib, myself and ten shark people corpses bump off a wall and surge forward.

We were rocketing through the tunnel and a break neck speed. Where did the wind come from? When did the current get so fast? What's going on?

Just as the questions enter my mind, the tunnel changes directions upwards and the current's speed picks up. Looking up, I notice that the surface was in sight but it was pretty damn high up. Is that where Drakath is?

We were going to find out real quick. If the current doesn't lower its speed soon, Lib and I'll be flying out of the surface and shoot through the ceiling of the cave.

"Oh gods, make it stop!" I scream, bubbles rushing out of my mouth.

And just as I say that, Lib and I shoot out from the surface of the cave. We fly up into the air, the ceiling of the cave rushing towards us. Lib, like the asshole that he is, lets go of my arm and flies off.

It was a split second reaction. Thanks to Okuchi no Okami's crash course lesson on ninja jumping, I easily flip myself around mid-air, land feet first on the cave ceiling, leap off and belly flop on to the stone hard ground.

That could have gone better.

I land on my stomach, cape flying over my head. Water sprays down over Lib and I as I push myself up, groaning in pain. I didn't break anything since it wasn't that far of a fall but I'm probably all bruised up.

"Ouch that-" I cut myself off as I push my red cape out of my face. I was kneeling on the ground right in front of a very surprised green eyed bandit.

I had apparently landed right in front of Drakath. Startled from my sudden appearance, he had fallen backwards and scooted himself up against a nearby stalagmite, putting his arms up defensively.

We stare at each other, mystified at the sudden turn of events. Finally, he scowls and we both jump to our feet at the same time. We back away from each other and unsheathe our swords, back on guard. Drakath was holding the Wind Orb under his arm and I was sure that was what was causing the weird currents and wind.

"Hey Drakath, long time no see," I smile, raising a hand in greeting. "Hey, if you wanted to go on vacation with me, you could have just asked." I tease and he scowls even harder.

He looks exhausted. Drakath was sopping wet and shivering from the cold. He's covered in scratches and burns and he won't do well if he's going to stay here longer.

"You. How did you get here?" He demands, pointing his sword at me. "You said you couldn't swim! You lied!" he accuses me as if I had betrayed him.

"I never said that," I keep smiling at him. "I don't do good in water but that doesn't mean that I can't swim. I just…don't."

"Why? Why did you come here then?"

"I don't cross water often but I was willing to for something important." I point at him. It wasn't a lie either. Sure I was hesitant but if Lib had given me at least three hours, I would have eventually gone in.

"Stay back. The Wind Orb is mine!" He stutters and his sword quivers in his hands. "I'm not letting a peasant like you get your hands on it."

"I'm not talking about the Orb. I'm talking about you."

"Never I'll….wait. What?" he looks at me, confused and lowers the tip of his blade a bit.

"What am I going to do with that anyways?" I say. I'm technically not the one who's going to use it. "I came to see you. But speaking about the Orb, how did you manage it?"

"M-Manage what?" he asks, suspicious.

"Even I had trouble getting through the Ruins of Kordana. But look at you. You got in and out alive with the Orb in your hands. I'm impressed and curious. How did you do it?"

"That's…I went and…It's none of your business!" he snaps, taking a staggered step forward.

"Did you get better at swordplay?" I giggle. "Maybe you ca-"

"Focus, Butterbrain," Lib deadpans as he flies over to me and lands on my shoulders. "Hurry up and start a fight."

"I was getting there," I whisper to him, miffed at his interruption. "Oh, this is Libérta." I introduce Lib to Drakath who had started seething when Lib had appeared. "Remember him? This was the dragon that you failed to retrieve. That was when you were fumbling around with your sword like you were a toddler. But that was the past. We haven't seen each other in such a long time so you must have improved, right? Show me."

"I'll do more than that, peasant," Drakath snarls, placing the Wind Orb on the ground behind him. "You won't get out of this cursed cave alive!"

"That's what I want to hear. Lib, sit down over there." I point over to a nearby stalagmite. "The pleasure of beating Drakath into the ground is reserved for myself and myself only."

"Freak," Lib mutters as he flies off to the stalagmite. "Where did all the dead shark people go? They were just here a minute ago."

"You'll regret that, peasant!"

"Your ass is mine, Drakath!"

We charge at each other, swords drawn. Our blades cross and he makes the first thrust. Parrying the attack, I find that his thrusts and slashes have become stronger and tougher to block.

"Not bad but how's your defense?" I laugh, feigning a stab at his gut before going for his neck. To my surprise and utter delight, he reads the move and blocks. He wasn't fast enough though and I manage to scratch his face as he knocks my blade away from him.

As my blade is knocked away, I swing my fist at him and because he was too concentrated on my sword, it slams into the side of his face. To his credit, he only staggers back a step before attacking again.

"You need some work but again, not bad," I compliment him with a smile as I push him back with another slash. "Though really, you should watch yourself. You're leaving your left side completely open!" I go in for a stab in his left shoulder. He only just manages to step to the side as my sword grazes his shoulder, drawing blood. He takes the chance and uses his free right hand to punch my face.

It was a faulty punch. He was doing it all wrong but it does make my head reel back. In retaliation, I slash my sword upward and it cuts a gash in his left arm. He yelps in pain as he loses his hold of his sword, jumps back and suddenly disappears from my sight.

"Huh? Where did you go?" I was faced with the open blue sky. Confused, I look down and take a sharp intake of air.

I was standing literally inches from a hundred meter fall into the ocean. Drakath and I were so preoccupied with each other that we didn't notice that we had been moving closer and closer to the edge of a cliff that Drakath was now hanging perilously from.

Both his hands were griping the edge for dear life as he dangled above certain death. At first, he looks up at me pleadingly but then catches himself, glowers and tries getting up himself. Unfortunately for him, he had horrendous upper body strength and his struggles were only making his fingers slip farther off the cliff edge.

"I guess I'll do the cliché hero thing and help you," I sigh, crouching down to grab his wrist. I prepared myself for when he was going to attack me as soon as I pull him up to safety. "You really are hopeless."

Just as my fingers touch his wrist, he takes one look up at me and his unhidden embarrassment turns to indignant rage.

He lets go of the ledge and begins falling.

I almost didn't react fast enough. I throw myself flat on the ground and both of my hands shoot out to grab his wrists. What the fuck is he doing?

"The fuck do you think you're doing?" I gasp trying to heave him up. His struggles weren't helping.

"Don't touch me you disgusting peasant!" He tries twisting his wrists out of my hold.

"Are you stupid?" I grit my teeth trying to keep him from falling. "You are going to die. You aren't going to drown. You won't have time to! Falling from this height into water is like falling on to solid ground. You will die. Now let me help you!"

"No! Let me go!" he protests, kicking his legs angrily.

I was quickly losing my grasp on him and my heart was beating like crazy. The crashing of the waves below were obscenely loud and I couldn't think straight.

"Just let me help you up! I'll even give you a free shot on me! Just let me get you up!" I strain myself to keep my grip tight.

"You're just trying to trick me!" He keeps struggling.

"I am not! And even if I was, I'd have let you fall already. Stop being stubborn and stupid!" I pull him up closer.

"I am not!" He tries thrashing around. "Don't touch me!"

With all the strength I had in my quivering arms, I pull him up even higher but he keeps moving around and making my grasp slip. I pull him up high enough to have our heads side by side but there was no way I could get him up safely if he was squirming and being a dumbass.

"I am telling you, this isn't a tri-" I stop mid-sentence when something surprisingly soft touches my cheek.

In his thrashing about, Drakath had accidentally turned his head towards me, flailed it a little too close mine and his lips had landed on my cheek. He pulls back immediately but the distinct sound of a…there isn't any other way to describe it. The distinct sound of a kiss surprises us both and we gape at each other for a moment, startled.

Thankfully, I recover my thoughts faster than he does and use this advantage to heave him up over the ledge, over my head and hear him landing in a heap on solid ground.

I stand up slowly, grabbing my sword that I had dropped on the ground before. My cheek feels tingly and I look over my shoulder to see Drakath on his back lying conveniently next to the Wind Orb.

Noticing that I was staring, he grabs the Orb, scoots away and makes a big show of wiping his mouth.

"You disgusting wench!" He spits as he gets to his feet, blushing furiously. "How dare you!"

"Umm, I think that was all you. But it's okay," I cough. "That was an accident." I cough again, not sure of what to do next. This is awkward.  _Really_ awkward.

Drakath opens his mouth to throw another insult but all that comes out is a squeak and he quickly bites down and turns his back to me like he was beginning to pout. Both of us had no idea what to do and we stand there unmoving for a minute as I tried to think of a way to fix the situation.

"Uh…So…do you want to go back to fighting?" I ask carefully. Drakath doesn't respond.

"What am I watching?" Lib asks from his spot by the stalagmite.

"Shut up, Lib." I glance over to where Drakath's sword was lying on the ground. "Hey. You dropped your sword. Do you want it back?" Again, no answer. I kick the sword over to his feet but he doesn't react.

"You ruined it." He states crossly.

"Ah…ruined what exactly?"

"You ruined the moment. The moment is dead." He glares at the corner of the cave like the moment was there, dead and bleeding out on the ground.

I was about to say that he was the one who did it but decide against it.

"So, what now? Do you want me to give you some time?" I suggest, sheathing my sword.

"No."

"Do you want me to give you a free shot?"

"No." he says, growing more annoyed.

"Uh…do you want me to kiss you to make it even?"

"Yes. Wait…No! No!" He turns, protesting vehemently. "That was an accident. Don't come anywhere near me."

"Okay okay. It was an accident. I get it." I raise my hands in front of my chest. Fuck, how do you get out of this?

"I hate you! Do you understand? I despise you. You are the bane of my existence," The wind begins to pick up as he yells at me. He puts the Wind Or under his arm again. "Not a day goes by that I don't think about you. I literally dream about you."

"You mean you think and dream about killing me right? Just trying to clear it up." I cough again, feeling the chill of the wind.

"Are you-Stop getting the wrong idea!" He shouts in frustration, stamping his foot on the ground. The golden Wind Orb under his arm had started to glow noticeably brighter.

"Uh, Drakath?"

"Don't interrupt me!" He keeps ranting about his eternal hatred of me as the clouds inside the Orb begin to shift and swirl.

"Drakath, the Orb is-"

"Everything about you is infuriating!"

"I know but the Orb is-"

"I don't understand why you're acting like this if you hate me too!"

"Really the Orb is-…I don't hate you at all. Why would I hate you?" I tip my head to the side and he falls silent.

"Don't you?" he asks, hesitant.

"Of course not. I thought you knew that." I take a few steps closer.

"Why not? Aren't we enemies?"

"Yes but I don't dislike you at all. It's the opposite actually. Wasn't it obvious?" I ask, honestly baffled at his reaction.

"But that…that makes no sense." He says quieter than before. The wind was starting to act strange. It would sometimes be blowing at me, pushing me away from Drakath but then it would change direction and nudge me towards him.

"Have I ever made sense to you? Are you that dense?" I put my hands on my hips and lean forward, giving him and incredulous look.

"Shut up!" He snaps, not sure if he was going to take a step further or back. Now the wind was really pushing me.

The fox said that when Drakath meets his true enemy, in other words me, in battle, it would trigger the orb into attacking me and then send Drakath away but nothing's happened yet. Maybe I need to steer this confrontation in the right direction again.

"But really, my interest in you is waning again," I sigh, shaking my head at him.

"What?" he asks, voice starting to get squeaky again. "Wh…" I think he wanted to ask why.

"I learned the other day that you really are a prince. Well, you were a prince." I shrug and he bristles at the comment. "But is that it? Is that really all there is to you? I'm disappointed. To be frank, you haven't improved much either. I guess that means there isn't anything more to see." I sigh, feigning dejectedness. "I was really hopeful too but I guess I'll find someone else."

"Don't you dare!" He bursts out all of a sudden. Evidently, he seems more surprised at his actions than I do.

"Why should I?" I press harder, walking towards him until we were only an arms-length away from each other. "You're just made of meaningless words. Can't follow through on a single one of them. You say you hate me? Show me."

At that, he lunges at me in a fit of fury but with him being weaponless, I kick him hard in the stomach and he falls to the ground again, wheezing and clutching the Orb. The Orb was glowing brighter and the Wind was trying to push me away again.

"Hurry up and show me already!"

"Enough!" He shouts, pounding his fist on the ground. That did it. The Orb flashes brightly and swirling golden clouds materialize from the Orb, forming the shape of a huge dragon head looking right into my eyes. It opens its jaws as if to roar but the sound that come out is a hellish howl of wind.

The dragon head rushes forward, colliding with me and shoots me across the cave and into a stalagmite. My back crashes into the stone pillar and I feel the pain coursing through my nerves.

As I slid down the stalagmite, groaning in pain, I hear Lib's wing beats and he lands beside me.

"You never told me the Orb was made of dragon magic." He says, flicking his wings curiously.

"Me…neither." I groan, trying to push myself off the ground. I got it to work though.

"That…such power." Drakath breathes out in amazement as he picks himself off the ground. Wind was swirling around him and he starts grinning.

"Oof," I get on my feet slowly, holding my back as my knees quiver. "That was…ow…strange." I grimace and Drakath notices.

"With this, I can finally beat you," His deep green eyes brighten, holding the Orb aloft. Another wind dragon was forming, ready to attack me and I smile, standing straighter.

"You managed to get the Orb to work, did you?" I say, ignoring the ache in my bones.

"When is the Orb going to take him away?" Lib asks, looking from me to Drakath nervously.

"I'm going to hope that it'll be after its next attack. I think I can handle another one." I keep my eyes trained on Drakath. "Get in my bag. This might be a bumpy ride."

"You better survive, Butterbrain." He says before he disappears under my cape and slides into my bag.

"Beg me for mercy," Drakath commands me triumphantly. "You can't beat me if I have the Wind Orb. Surrender."

"You know that won't happen." I smile brightly at him and for a moment, he falters before he returns to scowling. "It looks like a long fall." I comment, glancing over my shoulder. If that dragon thing hits me directly, I'll get launched out of the cave and plummet into the ocean. That is if it can.

I can dodge it. I know I can. Once that happens, the Orb will take Drakath to the village and I'll grab him as it does.

"Just give up!" he demands, growing flustered.

"Nuh-uh. Not in a million years," I roll my shoulders forward, hearing the joints crack. "I wanna see if you can really finish me off," I smile and spread my arms invitingly. "Take your best shot!"

"What are you do-"

"Do it!" I shout, making Drakath widen his eyes and gasp as the wind dragon forms, roaring like hurricane as it charges towards me. The wind was blowing so loud again and I can hardly hear anything besides my beating heart. Drakath might have shouted something but it was lost in the wind.

The wind dragon rushes forth and just as I was about to dodge, it veers off course and shoots up into the ceiling before I could have a chance to register what just happened.

It slams into the cave ceiling, making the cave shake and rubble fall from above.

"Was that supposed to happen?" I ask out loud, lowering my arms down to my sides. Just as the question leaves my lips, a boulder crashes beside me and I leap away reflexively. The whole cave was shaking violently from the impact created by the Wind Orb dragon. Larger rocks start raining down on us as the floor quakes.

One large chunk of the ceiling splashes into the tunnel entrance right beside Drakath, effectively closing off our exit route, and he flinches away.

Drakath gapes up at the ceiling, trying to keep his balance. A large crevice begins to form above him and he freezes up completely. The rest of the ceiling was going to fall on him and he wasn't moving.

"Watch out!" I shout, running towards him on instinct. Hearing me, he looks at me but he was too shocked to move. Cursing internally at our bad luck, I leap at him, throw my arms around him and push us both out of the way of the falling debris.

We crash into the back wall of the cave as the rest of the ceiling caves in and buries us.

* * *

 

"Was that fox guy lying to us?" Lib asks me, poking his head out of my cape.

I was sitting against the cave wall. By some miracle, the cave had collapsed but we survived being crushed and sustained no injuries. There wasn't a lot of space to move around though. I could see no spaces through the rock that had buried us and no escape route. The only light came from the glowing Wind Orb that Drakath was hugging as he lay on the ground, resting his head on my lap completely out cold. I guess a rock must have hit his head.

"I don't think so, Lib. It wouldn't make sense. He wanted us to get to the village." I say, staring out into space.

"So are we just unlucky?"

"Maybe. Or maybe it's the opposite," I shrug, resting my hand on Drakath's head. "Plans can change after all. I think I can find a way." I smile down at him.

Something glints in the corner of our entrapment and catches my eye. I reach over finding that it was one of Yumiko's records. It must have fallen out of my belt in the chaos before.

Sighing, I read over the paper making sure it was Yumiko and promptly, all of the blood falls from my face and I curse loudly.

"What is it now?" Lib yawns, bored.

"I am an idiot."

In clear dark ink on the paper was Yumiko's full bio.

To be more precise, it was the bio of a Yumiko Atamanai. Able to spontaneously heal the hearts of all evil men and kiwis as well as being the younger sister to a certain Tomoe Atamanai.


	25. Once Found

I should have seen it from the very moment I talked to Tomoe. Everything was going too smoothly and whenever there was a crinkle in my plan, Tomoe would be the one who'd smooth it out unintentionally.

At least that was what I thought.

The first time we met, he must have immediately known that I wasn't his sister. He even lied and said that we hadn't known each other for long. That time there were no hints. Tomoe is a very good actor.

But that was no excuse for being duped on the boat. Tomoe showed me different ways to knock someone out without asking questions. Then when I tried knocking him out with that chop to his neck, he hesitated before falling down. He pretended to faint. He wanted my plan to work. He even helped me knock out Ennosoke. There was no way I could have thrown him so far across the deck from where I was standing below. Then there was that time when he kept Hideyoshi from stopping "Yumiko" when I pretended that I wanted to chase after Heiji while they were stuck in the brig. At the infirmary too; Tomoe asked Hideyoshi about the Village's scrolls near enough for me to hear his answer.

Tomoe must have recognized me. He knew that I wanted revenge on the ninjas. But why is he doing this? He even put his own sister in danger. What is he hoping to gain?

Whatever it is, he was willing to throw his friends and his sister under the boat for it. Crafty bastard.

"I need to tread carefully." I say out loud, pushing away another rock. Lib, Drakath and I have been stuck under the rubble for a while now. I'm not sure how long it's been. It had to have been a couple of hours at the least. I could've checked on my phone but it wasn't working for some reason. The screen was messed up and when I tried dialing, it'd crash on me. It wasn't wet or damaged and knowing Alison, she must have made it magically. It's probably because of the Wind Orb. The Orb's magic must be messing with the phone's signal.

"We could have avoided this if you had just looked at her papers closer like I told you to." Libérta sticks his tongue out at me as he lounges on one of the larger rocks that I had dislodged.

"Shut up, Lib," I say, glowering as I move another rock to make a pathway out. "You'll wake him up." I nod over to Drakath.

Princey was still snoozing on his side facing the corner of our cavern with the Orb sitting beside him. It's probably been hours since we've been stuck down here but he still hasn't stirred. He must be exhausted.

I wanted to get a start on getting us out so I gently laid him down by the wall and wrapped my cape around him in addition to his own to make sure he wouldn't get sick. Drakath seemed to be unconsciously fine with it and buried his nose into the cloth. Along with that, I placed the Orb closer to him. The Orb seemed to be emanating a little bit of heat so I thought that it would help out a bit too.

"I think it's better if he stays asleep," I say, choking back a yawn. "I'm sure he'd want to start a fight the moment he gets up." I rub my eyes, trying to keep them open. My eyelids feel heavy and so does my head.

"Hey, Butterbrain? Are you tired or something?" Lib asks, flying next to me. I shake my head both to answer his question and keep myself alert.

"Of course not. How can I be? The Orb's shining too bright for me to fall asleep," I get ahold of another boulder, tugging on it slightly to test if I could dislodge it safely. "But it's helping me see clearly." I say before my vision goes black for a split second. My head falls forward and I just manage to catch myself before my skull crashes into the boulder.

"That's assuring." Lib drawls, taking my forearm into his jaws and tugging it away from the rock.

"I'm fine," I shake him off, trying to keep my vision focused. "I don't know what's wrong with the orb but we have to get out of here at the very least."

"How about I just transform into an adult?" Lib suggests.

"I like my bones not powdered into a fine dust thank you very much…but we might have to consider that." I tsk as I remove another rock from the wall. There was hardly any room left to put them now and it looked like I hadn't made much progress at all.

I rub my eyes again and slap my cheeks lightly to keep my eyes open. My movements were getting sluggish and clumsier and I didn't notice when I placed the rock on Lib's tail. Hissing, he pulls his tail out from under the rock and chomps down on my hand. I blink twice slowly at his teeth sinking into my skin before staring back at Lib, somewhat dazed.

"You really are out of it," Lib releases my hand, rolling his eyes and his scales shimmer briefly. "You should stop before you make the wall collapse on us."

"I said that I'm fi-" I clench my teeth together to keep from yawning. "Fine. Just fi-" My voice dies out and I lurch forward. Lib sprays me with a glob of water and even then, I collapsed and didn't wake.

* * *

**Once Found: Side of A**

"Come on, Eli," Alison touches Eli's arm as he looks across the sea to the burning town of Osprey. "Get me my lil sis back."

"I'm not sure. Perhaps we should talk." Eli wracks his brain for something that didn't make him feel like having a fit.

"Don't think. Feel." Alison smiles and I gulp. It didn't sound like she was using those words correctly. Rather, they sounded hateful.

"Right," Eli nods and his hesitation disappears. He glares at the home of the pirates and raises his arm. "Fire!"

The mages from our ship and the other ships see and hear his signal. They launch their attack together and a gust of cold wind rushes across the water towards Osprey, freezing everything in its wake in a bright flash of blue light.

On their own, each mage was formidable but together they were able to freeze the entire coast in front of them. Stretching from one end of the beach to the other, Osprey and its surrounding waters had frozen solid.

Ships became stuck in the thick ice or were completely frozen themselves and the pirates, caught completely off guard, started firing into our fleet of ships. Some of the mages were still winded by the huge amount of mana they had to use for their collected effort but the backup mages did their best to deflect the cannonballs.

Some made it through and ram through the hulls of our borrowed ships. One hit ours but it hardly mattered. It created one hole that the others were already starting to repair.

"They're all trapped!" A rowdy rogue whoops by the rail as Eli commands the boats to sail forward. The others cheer as well, ready to capture the pirate cove and find out what happened to Ty. At least, I hope they just capture the cove. By the looks of things, the others were ready to split the island in half for what the Pirates and Ninjas did.

But was it really the Pirates and Ninjas? Something doesn't feel right…My head really hurts too.

I tear at my hair, trying to think clearly. I wasn't as excited as the others but ever since we started to make up a plan to rescue Ty, I wasn't able to walk in a straight line let alone think rationally. My brain's a scrambled mess and I don't understand what's going on. I'm worried about Ty, worried about Alison suddenly getting strange…well, stranger and everyone else is acting way too out of control.

"Eli, sir!" One of the guardians from the lookout above us yells. "More pirate ships are coming this way!" From around the corner of the island, seven larger ships sailed out. All were much more elaborate and, judging by the number of cannons peeking out of their gun decks, much more armed.

"Ready the cannons and be on your guard. The pirates might board our ships. Tell the others to keep the other ships frozen," Eli commands one of the guardians and glances at Alison who hadn't stopped smiling. "All we need to do is stall."

"Ash," Alison walks over and touches my shoulder. "How about you and me go for a private ride? I think you need some time to relax anyways." She smiles, motioning over to some other guardians preparing a smaller boat for us.

"What? But we're in the middle of a naval battle. It's too dangerous!" I shake my head, wincing from another sudden jolt of pain.

"It's all part of the plan and also-" She leans closer to whisper. "- I need to talk to you privately." Before I could ask why, she turns her back on me and heads towards the smaller boat, expecting me to follow after.

I take quivering steps after her as the ship rocked, hardly aware of the shouting around me. I didn't even notice when I tumble into the small dinghy reserved for Alison. I curl up in the bottom, trying to breathe. Before Alison hops into the boat with me, a guardian hands her a jingling bag and she thanks him as he looks on in a daze.

My vision starts to get blurry again so I close them and try to rub my dizziness away. I hardly feel the boat drop down to the surface of the water. I could hardly even hear the cannons go off even though they were so close. What's wrong with me?

"Hang in there, Ash," I vaguely hear Alison tell me. "Once we're out a little more, I'll fix you up."

A dull ringing fills my ears and for the moment, I gave up on trying to think. Alison had taken the paddles and I think she was rowing us towards the frozen shoreline. I'm pretty sure that doing that was extremely dangerous but then again, I was extremely not feeling so good.

"Ash," Alison pulls my limp body up into a sitting position. Cold metal is pressed up against my slack lips and something solid falls into my mouth. Alison pinches my nose and makes me swallow.

A sharp stab of clarity hits my brain and brings me out of my blurred daze, gasping for air.

"Alison, what just happened? Why are we attacking? We should ask them about Ty! We have to make sure we aren't making a mistake! How do we know it was Ty that wrote the note? If she did, why would her captors let the hawk go so easily? Where is the hawk? Where did Ty get a hawk from? Why is everyone being so insanely mad? They aren't like this and..and…" I trail off, ending my string of questions. "Alison, what's happening? Did you do something?"

"I just gave everyone a push is all. I'd never make them do what they didn't want to." Alison says as she stood over me. The bracelets dangling around her wrists jangle and click against each other as she smiles sheepishly. "They're doing what they want. Just without that pesky thinking part."

"What?"

"Sit for a while, Ash. You seem a bit confused so talk to me for a bit." She says, taking a seat and smoothing out her dress.

"But we're sitting in the middle of a battle!" I exclaim, trying to figure out how she was being so calm. From living with her for the past while, I figure it might just be her personality. Thinking back, she never really did take the wars we had seriously. Wait a second, did she take anything seriously?

"Forget about it for a second," She smiles brightly, ignoring the cannonball that just hit the water right beside the dinghy, making it lurch to the side. "I have to get some things ready anyways. Help me pass the time."

She fishes around in her bag eagerly for a jar of glowing blue star shaped rocks. She opens the lid, reaches in for a handful and stuffs the things into her mouth. She crunches on them for a few seconds before swallowing.

"What was that?" I asked, pointing at the jar.

"It's something to help energize me," She picks one of the stars out of the jar and offers it to me. "One is enough to keep you awake for about three days straight but after that, you'll need to spend some time in bed and not move."

"Uh…no thank you," I politely decline her offer. "But didn't you just eat twenty? Are you going to be okay?"

"In a moment," She coughs into her hand as she puts the jar away. "Unlike Ty, I can't go on for days without sleeping or eating but I am stronger than her. Believe me. It's just that I'm only allowed small bursts," She sighs, annoyed at something and she rummages around her bag again.

This time she pulls out a dagger. It didn't look as special as any of the other weapons in their house. It was a short blade with a gold hilt. Probably wasn't even gold.

"Hold this for me," She carefully holds the blade and offers me the hilt. I take it from her tentatively, feeling how light it felt. On closer inspection, it had a symbol of a star inside a circle. In fact, the same symbol was on her bracelets. "As I was saying, I'm allowed short and small bursts of power. The pills help make it easier and so does the fact that the pirates and ninjas attacked first. That also means that Ty and I didn't break our promise."

"What promise is that?" I ask, feeling a bit uneasy.

"To never harm humans unless they attacked first." She nods solemnly.

"Does that mean you aren't human? Both you and Ty?" I try not to sound offensive. It's been in the back on my mind for a while. Ty was strong and she trained a lot with me but during the war, she wouldn't eat or sleep for days and she'd still be okay. Her wounds healed faster than normal and that one time that Bassault had attacked…that was insane.

Alison too. She can change her form but it didn't seem like she used magic for her transformations.

"Duh? Did you think that monster was human?" She said, referring to Ty. "Did you think I was human? No way did you think that."

"Then…is it okay if I ask what you guys are. It's kind of hard to tell." I explain, feeling embarrassed and intrusive. The boat rocks again from another bunch of cannonballs hitting the ice near us. I clamp down on my seat to keep balance and Alison just disregards the ice shards flying past her orange-haired head. Flakes got stuck in her strands of hair and she brushes them away.

"Sure. It's fine for me but you'll have to ask Ty for her answer later," She reaches into her bag and pulls out a handful of blue and green herbs that resembled mint then a bag of chopped gingersnaps. She blinks once and they suddenly get set aflame, burning bright yellow and sending a strange cool sent into the air around us. "Geez, this is gonna hurt later. I probably won't look so good soon."

"Ah, can't you just transform like you usually do?"

"Not after this. It takes power to keep me pretty," She looks down at her hands sadly. By now, the flame had disappeared and so had her cheerful expression. "I can't just spontaneously make myself look pretty. Would you like to know how I change my appearance?" She sat up straight again and her smile returned.

"Sure!" I answer quickly.

"Hmmm, maybe I should start all the way from the beginning." She muses as another loud crash echoes through the air. It came from one of our ships. It had been hit directly by a volley of cannonballs breaching its hull.

"Right. Long ago, probably more than a millennia, my home world had nothing." She begins and starts to reminisce. "There was just water. You couldn't even call it water. It was just an endless mass of liquid nothing. For a very long time, it was just nothing. It was all very boring now that I think about it but back then I didn't know what boring meant.

Then all of a sudden, something green formed from the liquid mass. It was probably the first form of a stem or leaf. It died immediately of course. There was no system to keep it alive and it was too primitive. But that wasn't the end. More things; living things began to pop up in the mass. It started with plants that died and turned into dirt. Real water appeared and stayed. Soon, so much of them appeared that it created the land and sea and soon everything in between. It came from all of that nothing. They had begun to change and created my world out of nowhere.

They just decided to become.

It came to the point where they turned into sea dwelling creatures that soon grew legs and crawled up to the land. One even grew hot and rose into the new sky to become the sun. It was so amazing, I remember seeing it all become colorful and so…full of life I guess.

But at that time, I didn't know what it was like to feel amazed so I wasn't.

Years later, hardly any of that stuff was left. They had all become something of worth. All except for that one little puddle of nothing. It hadn't changed at all. It was just there being worthless like it couldn't be bothered to change. Or maybe it was just uncreative." Alison crosses her arms and became irritated. "What a dumb thing it was. Lazy too but at that time I couldn't understand what lazy meant. It's embarrassing to think about even now."

I hear a crackle and see energy spark on Alison's shoulder but I brush it off as me seeing things because I hadn't blinked in a while.

I was trying to grasp Alison's story. It wasn't anything I had heard from rumors or books. This wasn't how Lore was created to my knowledge. A legend from another continent maybe?

"That puddle of nothing moved around aimlessly. Animals would step on it and it would be rained on by the weather but it wouldn't change. Then one day, it just stopped moving. It stayed motionless under a sapling. It sank into the ground and was sucked up by the baby tree's roots. It didn't die but was it ever really living?" Alison pauses for a moment before shaking her head and continuing.

"That doesn't really matter I guess. Anyways, skip forward a few hundred years and the tree is humungous and still hosting whatever that thing was. It was on a summer day that everything changed. A small human boy had come by wearing a straw hat and carrying a bucket of bugs he collected. He was a brunet, his skin was tanned from playing in the sun so much and his eyes were green and they sparkled at the tall tree.

Even where I come from there were humans. There are humans everywhere it's like a multi-universal law where every world has to have some form of humanoid creatures. I'm sorry. I always get off topic." Alison laughs and the air around her crackles with electricity.

"Uh…" I want to say something about it but if I do she might not tell me the entire story.

"Well that human boy wanted to climb up the tree. He set his bucket down and jumped for the lowest branch. The boy was a very good climber and swung his way all the way to the top. Once he reached the top, he yelled excitedly at the view of the entire forest and tried to pinpoint where his village was. He pointed with his finger in the westward direction and tried waving at them even though he knew that they were too far away to see.

Then there was a gust of wind.

It blew his straw hat off of his head and startled, he reached out to catch it. He stretched too far. He lost his grip on the branch and fell and fell.

He should have landed on feet first, perhaps bend his knees on landing to lessen the force of impact, roll and find help while adrenaline was flowing through his veins.

Of course, he was oh so very young, small and bumping into the branches as he fell didn't help him.

He landed on his side and his head bounced on the solid ground. I heard a crack and red saturated the soil for the next few days until it rained.

The boy lay there for a long time. I can't actually remember how long. I should know these things.

Eventually he sunk into the ground as well.

That was the trigger.

He was eaten by worms, bugs, scavengers and even the trees absorbed his nutrients from the soil he had sunk into.

That liquid nothing ate him too. It tasted everything from his head down to his toes and for the first time in its existence, it thought. It thought that it wanted to move; to go for a walk.

Something began to form inside the tree. Its trunk was stretching wider and wider. It as if it had become pregnant. It took a few years but eventually, the bark split down the middle and a boy slid out, covered in water and sap and nothing else.

It wasn't the boy from before. Far from it. But the boy lying outside of the tree was wearing him. It stole his form for its amusement.

The form wasn't perfect. His eyes weren't full of life and he was pale as a ghost. It was a poor copy of the boy who once lived.

The "boy" gingerly stood up. For the first time, the thing could truly see the grand vermillion forest of autumn. It could feel the now overgrown grass beneath its feet and the breeze on its assumed face.

And it felt a pull.

It took one step forward, wobbling a bit. Then it took another. And another in the direction of "home." It even picked up the bucket that the dead boy had left behind. It had to return it to his little brother after all. It had said it would return it.

At the time, I had no idea what "home" or "brother" meant but I just went with it.

The thing walked through the forest on the overgrown path towards the dead boy's home on the outskirts of an old farming village. In the back of its mind, the thing knew that it was very late coming back home. Years late.

By the time it reached a decrepit and rickety old shack, it had become nightfall.

It rapped on the door three times and a called out. The voice came out distorted and haunting. It was the first time the thing had ever made a sound.

The door swung open and a man in rags stares down at his long lost older brother. It had been twenty years since the last time he'd seen his brother running into the forest promising to come back by nightfall.

A few days after that, the whole village had scaled the forest and found nothing. It was speculated that his brother had been taken by demons. Months after, he and his parents were still mourning. A year later, his parents were still mourning and refused to get up from bed. Years later, his father fell into a river and didn't have the will to swim. His mother stood up soon after and went into the forest. This time the villagers were successful in their search. Half-successful at least. They found a body.

He had spent all of this time working and toiling and hating his disappeared brother. He despised how his brother had ruined everyone's life by disappearing and he despised himself because of how much he was willing to lay the blame on his brother.

But now, there he was standing outside of the door, naked, shaking and pale. He froze in spot, thinking that a demon had taken the appearance of his brother in order to invade his home.

Well, he was close in his reasoning.

The thing stares up at the man, confused but unfeeling. Then it felt its mouth open and words fall off of his tongue.

"I came back late. Sorry," the thing said slowly, pronouncing each syllable with care. "Friedrich, you can have your bucket back now." The thing held out the bucket in its hands.

Overcome with emotion, Friedrich could contain himself no longer. He threw his arms around the thing that ate his dead brother and cried for what seemed like a lifetime.

At that moment, the thing became a him. It began to feel warmth and water dripped out of his new eyes. It may have been the dead Gregory's memories making him feel but that could hardly matter. It felt wonderful, so new and strange and made him want to run and run and run. This was nothing like before and there will be no time when he will ever want to go back to before. Back when life didn't mean a damn and he had wasted all of that time just existing and not being.

Later he would recognize those feelings of joy and sadness and he would go on to know so much more.

Now the thing had a name. He was Gregory and his new older brother was Friedrich. I had a brother now and I wanted to know where our parents were.

Of course he didn't answer. He just hugged me tighter and let me into the shack.

It was strange at first, living with my brother Friedrich. Even if he did accept me, he still felt wary sometimes. A few nights out of the week, he'd stand over me as I was pretending to sleep. I wasn't sure what was going through his mind but he was always holding something in his hand. Perhaps it was a weapon like knife or club that he held while debating whether I was a monster in disguise or not.

He always chose wrong.

Though that was the only times he'd ever thought about hurting me. The rest of life as Gregory was near blissful.

The real Gregory died when he was twelve so I still had a lot of stuff to learn. Friedrich taught me as much as he could. I learned to speak better in their native tongue, rudimentary maths, how to grow food, hunting, swimming, cooking and so on.

I learned how to be more human too. It's strange though, saying that learning to feel, love, cry and laugh is the same as learning how to be human. Maybe I was just learning how to be myself.

I watched the seasons pass and the forest changed from green to red and yellow to white and then green again. I had sensed it all as that shapeless blob of nothing but I never felt any awe or wonder. Friedrich would play with me and teach me how to fish by the river in spring and summer, in the fallen colorful leaves in fall and the snow in winter. I shouldn't have acted so excited. The real Gregory had known these seasons and this joy for years; they were nothing new to him. But it was to me and I pranced around like I was just born.

During this time, Friedrich became much happier. He started dressing better and even started to go down into town; something he hadn't done in years. He never took me there and the reason was obvious. How would the villagers react to me, the supposed disappeared brother, if he came to town not grown or changed at all?

I couldn't grow or age. Not at that time.

I didn't know I was supposed to grow and age.

Looking back now, if Friedrich though that it was strange, he never showed it while he thought that I was awake.

One time while we were fishing, Friedrich had to go back to the house to grab another bucket. A fish swam into my net and I untangled it from the woven rope. I held the wriggling creature in my hands for a while, feeling how slippery its skin was and seeing how pretty and shiny its scales were.

I couldn't help myself. I bit it into it, tasted its flesh and bone and swallowed it whole. Suddenly, I felt like I couldn't breathe. My legs ached and I felt my bones fracturing themselves and shrinking. I fell into the water, thrashing and flapping my fins.

That was the second time I turned. Hazy memories of fast currents and fleeing from bear claws drifted into my panicked state of mind. There was blood in the water. It was my blood. Well, not mine. It was the fish's blood but technically it was the same as mine now.

Instinct was driving me more than common sense. I flicked my silvery tale and my senses were telling me to swim as fast as I could downstream. They were also telling me to get out of the water right now. Friedrich is going to come back and he'll be so angry and annoyed at you and find out that you aren't Gregory.

You'll have to go back to living that disgustingly boring and empty life as a tree again and Friedrich'll be lonely.

What'll he do without Gregory?

I threw myself out of the river and on to the wet grass, flopping and gasping for breath.

Friedrich grabbed my shoulder and shook, telling me to calm down. He asked me what was wrong as I coughed and sputtered.

I sobbed and lied and told him that I accidentally fell in the river and got a bit tangled in the net. I panicked but I was fine now.

As he was drying me off with his raggedy old shirt, he promised me that he'd get something sweet for me from town later and we would share it after dinner.

I nodded and walked back home with him. After that incident, I went out in the middle of the night to the river again. I tried to turn back into the fish. The first few times it didn't work and I just ended up exhausted. Concentrating on turning almost made me pass out on the riverside but I'd always make it back to my own bed somehow.

I kept practicing though and found time to sneak out in the middle of the night. Eventually I was able to turn my arms into fins. The bones in my arms would break and shrink, skin would harden and turn into scales but they'd pop back into being Gregory's arms soon after. It was really painful. The worst thing that happened during my practice sessions was when I did successfully turn back into a fish but I couldn't turn back into Gregory.

I was flopping all over the grass and suffocating. I flipped and flopped until I was out of energy and gasping motionless on the wet ground. It was probably the worst ten minutes of my life. I nearly passed out and died but then I heard something close to a scream and I morphed back into Gregory. I think it was my scream that woke me up. I think…hmmmm. Can't really remember.

After that ordeal, morphing from Gregory to fish became easier. It would take time and it would hurt but eventually I got used to it.

I tried morphing into other animals like bears, deer and butterflies but it didn't work. I'd sit by the river and focus on their images but nothing would happen.

Then Friedrich and I went for a walk in the forest one summer afternoon and I ran off to grab some berries and check the snares while Friedrich went off on his own to hunt deer. A big grey fluffy rabbit was stuck in the snare.

Its fur looked so soft and fluffy and its ears would have been so nice to pet and have.

The urge overcame me again and I bit off its head and swallowed the rest soon after. Pain pierced my joints and my spine shrunk. I grew grey fur and my ears elongated until I had become the rabbit sitting in the red grass where I murdered the real one.

This time, I could think better. I wanted to run back to the burrow but I also knew that it was the rabbit's instincts affecting me and I should transform back into Gregory. Or maybe it was Gregory's memories messing with me. I not sure about that either.

But that was when I connected the dots. I couldn't transform into anything unless I ate it. If I ate something living, I gained its appearance, its memories, its powers and abilities and its weaknesses.

Overtime, I was able to mix and match different attributes like hair, eyes, bones, laser beams, teeth and the like," Alison runs her fingers through her hair as it grew shorter. "You understand now, don't you?"

Her eyes turn green and her hair turns brown. She became shorter and took on the appearance of a young boy.

"This was my first body." Alison explains, voice becoming higher and more boyish. "Brings back a whole lot of memories." The air around us crackles again as she glances at her reflection in the sea sadly.

I swallow hard and blink at Alison…no Gregory. Right now, she was Gregory.

"Y-you…You ate people?" I shudder at the thought. Did I eat people? What was the stuff that she fed us?

"Calm down, Ash. If I really did have to eat everything alive now, would I be able to do this?" Seamlessly, without any nasty bone breaking or screaming, the boy grew taller, eyes changed to hazel and now I was staring at myself.

"How?"

"I practiced a lot," I say-I mean Alison says, shrugging. "After a while, I perfected my ability to change into anything that I ate. There were restrictions of course. It has to be living and it usually has to be alive. I got around that last part. It took me a hundred years at the least to figure out and I won't go into the details since it'll take long." He crosses his arms and stares at the ship-to-ship battle beside us.

It's weird looking at me. Even the clothes look like mine. Were the clothes made out of Alison too?

"To put it simply, I became able to take on the appearance of anything living or once living if I just consumed a part of them. It went from a mouthful to something as small as an eyelash. Way more convenient but the transformation isn't as perfect," Could've fooled me. Definitely fooling me. "It also doesn't hurt a lot to change forms anymore." He changes again, growing taller, hair turning black and eyes brighten to blue and now Ty was sitting across from me.

"At least for something as simple as this," Alison says, twirling a strand of black hair. "For something bigger like a dragon or titan, it needs more energy and power. And it hurts like a son of a bitch," Ty…I mean Alison frowns. "I've been getting better at it but I haven't had a lot of time to practice lately because of…something. Why can't I practice like usual?" Alison holds her chin thoughtfully, mimicking Ty's pose. "I think someone helped me…Oh well, I'll think about it later."

"Do not retreat! Not till we give the signal!" Eli yells loud enough for us to hear. We both look over and see our ships being flanked by the pirates. The pirates were trying to board but the others were holding them back for the time being. "Wait! Not yet!" He yells more orders and his voice was being amplified magically by one of the mages. I think he was directing that to us.

"The captain's ship isn't here," Alison frowns and bites her cheek. "I need the captain's ship to be here. Why aren't they here?" She mutters and more energy crackles. She notices this time and takes a deep breath in. "Ash, keep talking to me."

"Um, you said it took you at least a hundred years to figure out your powers. How old are you?" I ask quickly, noticing her becoming tense.

"I dunno. I lost count but it's more than a couple thousand. A couple ten thousand? A couple million? I forgot. Age doesn't matter much when I can look forever sixteen," She winks. "Well, when I'm using Ty's form but Ty and the others don't like it when I change into them. It makes them squirm." She giggles.

"Did Friedrich ever find out? What happened to him?" I instantly regretted asking as Alison pales. A loud burst of energy bursts from her bracelets and a large crack splits down one, shattering the gold ringlet. The bones in her arm break and she doubles over, biting down on her lip to keep from screaming.

"What happened?" I jump over to her, reaching out to her arm. She glances up, still wearing Ty's appearance and she lunges forward to wrap her uninjured arm around me.

As she hugs me and rests her head on my shoulder, I feel something move under her skin.

"This happens when I'm about to transform into something big. One time I made a big change and it was by accident. I almost died. Instead, I went into a coma for twenty years. My mother, Lyla, put seals on me to keep me from suddenly changing," She tenses again and her broken arm twists backwards. I think I screamed but she wouldn't let me go. "But if there was ever a time where I wanted to change, she gave me a way to break those seals. The seals are invisible so I have to use something that symbolize them. These bracelets for example." The broken bracelet on the floor of the boat glints in the sun and I was going to shatter to pieces if she doesn't stop hugging me.

"Breaking them isn't enough. They have to be broken by a special kind of energy. Tell me, what do you think of my sister?" She whispers into my ear. Her lips brush my skin and I gulp.

"Ty's really cool, nice-"

"I'm not asking what she's like. I'm asking if you have…a thing for her."

"W-why now? I-I mean I don't…I like her but not like that but I maybe-" I start stuttering incoherently.

"Hmmmhmmmm," She pulls back and nods knowingly. She glances around at the crackling air. Blue sparks were appearing all around us and Ty-I mean Alison grips my wrist. I hadn't noticed but my hands were shaking and I almost let the dagger slip out of my hand.

"Emotions can be powerful and obviously you must feel overwhelmed."

"Ummmm ummmmmm!" I was overheating and it wasn't because of the tropical sun.

"Retreat!" Eli yells. "Here they come!" I glance at the ships and Eli was staring back at our flashing boat. A bigger ship was approaching and a man with an eye-patch and greenish jacket was at the helm.

"Right on time," Alison whispers, tightening her hold on my wrist. "Strong emotions can break the seals keeping me from ripping myself apart. But right now, I want to tear myself to shreds. And that's why I need you. So I'm sorry."

"Uh, don't worry about it…wait, why are you apologizing?"

She grins guiltily and leans closer until we were breathing the same air.

"H-hey, what are you-"

"It's been years and years and I still find these emotions overpowering at times. I have two favourites though. Can you guess?"

"Ummm. I don't know." I shake my head, coming close to just jumping out of the boat. Heat was rising in my cheeks and Ty-no Alison. This is Alison. Alison wasn't moving and the others were running away. One of the pirate ships had seen us and was coming over. A cannonball flies right over my head close enough to rustle my hair. Even with all of this happening, I couldn't take my eyes off of her.

I didn't want to.

"They're the feelings that make you abandon all rationality and logic, make adrenaline rush through your veins, makes you ready and willing to jump off a cliff and never look back." Alison touches her forehead to mine and I didn't dare move or breathe.

"Passion and fear."

Before I had time to blink, her lips, Ty's lips, push against mine and like a complete idiot, I push back. My eyes close and I didn't think. Alison grabs my hands and I didn't notice until it was too late. I was still holding her dagger when she thrust the blade into her chest.

Blood splatters on to me and I scream against her lips. I let go of the dagger shove her away. Now she was back to her usual form. The dagger was hilt deep in her chest and blood was spilling on to the bottom of our dinghy and mixing with water. I could barely hear the cannon fire over my own panic.

"O-Oh no no no no!" I stutter, watching as she stood shakily. "Why? What did I do?"

In reply, she smiles weakly and gingerly touches the hilt of the dagger. Energy was crackling and sparking all around the dinghy. Her other bracelet and her hairband splinters and fall to the floor.

"Thank you, Ash. Hehe, you sure do get worked up over hardly anything," She says in a quivery voice.

"Was that supposed to be a joke?" I try getting up but falter and fall back to my seat. I was still in shock and she was still bleeding everywhere. "I…We n-need to get help!"

"Something like this won't hurt me. So do me another favor?"

"Do…Should I ever do you favors again?"

"Just tell them…" She coughs and the hilt of the blade in her chest cracks. "Just tell them that I summoned the monster."

The dagger crumbles and pieces of gold metal tumble to the wooden planks. With the first plink of the fragments hitting the floor, a bright blast goes off and I'm thrown into the water.

I sink slowly, not able to move my limbs. Above the surface of the water, blue light flashes and close by, some ships had capsized because of the blast. I was too far to tell if they were ours or the pirates.

Then I remember that I had to do something really important. I had to breathe.

I right myself and swim upwards to the surface. I was halfway there when I notice something else sinking.

Alison, tangled up in her skirts and long orange hair, she was slowly falling to the bottom. Her limbs were a twisted mess.

I call out to her, forgetting that I was underwater and I lose a mouthful of air. Not thinking on it much, I change direction and swim towards her. As I swim, the currents in the water grew still and I feel something strange, almost scary.

It might have been because my vision was blurring due to being close to drowning but Alison was melting into the water. The water was dissolving her. I try swimming faster but I was already slowing down and blacking out.

But I can do it! I'll make it and b ba k n ti…

"Come on, Ash. I asked you a favor so at least be alive to carry it out."

The rumbling voice rouses me a bit. My eyes open but were unfocused. I let whatever was talking to me grab me and drag me to the open air. We break through the water and it tosses me back into the dinghy.

That wakes me up and I begin to cough up sea water. Though I feel weak and sick, I drag myself up to take a look around. Alison was gone and so were all of our ships. Eli and the others had fled, leaving no one to guard me from the approaching pirate ships.

"Bunch o cowards!" I hear the man in the green jacket yell from the front of his ship. "Attack us while we be occupied and flee when we free. Cowards! Could o mistaken em for ninjas!" The rest of the pirates cheer and jeer at the already far away ships. "Even left one o their own to us."

I yell for Alison but all that came out was a strangled yelp from my burning throat. I search around the water for her but I couldn't see anything. All there was to see was swirling water around the boat.

"What?" That wasn't there before.

"First mate Rhubarb, what in the eight seas is that?" One of the pirates on the ships closing in yells fearfully.

A long snake-like shadow appears in the water and disappears a second after. The waves had completely vanished and an unsettling silence falls on the pirates. Something bumps the bottom of the dinghy and I nearly lose my balance. Bubbles rose to the surface and for another moment, the shadow appears again. A monster was hiding beneath the surface and it was swimming around the dinghy.

"Is that you?" I croak, quivering.

A huge gush of water erupts into the air by the green jacket pirate's ship and they all scramble to fire at the source.

"Stop!" The man yells, halting the movements of his crew. "It be a trap! It's confusing us."

"First mate, that boy down there!" One of the pirates points to me. "That boy must be a mage! He's tricking us wit 'is magic!"

"Don't make any moves. That is an or-"

A cannon fires and the blast rings across the coast. The cannon ball was shot precisely and headed right for me. I bring my arms up to brace myself and the cannonball hits.

It hits another jet of water and when the mist settles, a tall, sleek and silvery tail rose above the ships. The pirates and I watch it grow taller and taller before it slams down into the ships that had tried to kill me.

The ship is virtually sliced down the middle. Its crew and supplies were thrown into the sea and the monster disappears again.

Wildly, the other pirates fire into the sea hoping to drive the creature out. When they needed to reload, the creature strikes again. This time it goes for one of the ships close to the green jacketed pirate's ship. Its tail impales the ship and wraps around the hull before dragging it down into the dark depts. At that point, the other ships try to sail for shallower waters but they were already frozen by the mages of Falconreach. If they wanted to get to a safer battleground, they'd have to sail around the coast to shore. They wouldn't have time for that.

The green jacketed pirate commands them to retreat before he runs to one of his on deck cannons.

Another ship gets attacked. This time it was perilously close to the dinghy and I paddle myself to the ice before it took out that ship too.

The creature doesn't use its tail. It leaps out of the water and crashes into the ship, taking it down as its crew jump out. Whatever it was disappears again and no one got a clear look at it. That creature was too fast.

It leaps out again and a ship veers to the left, narrowly missing certain death. The monster, aiming to correct its mistake, leaps once more and a canon goes off.

A cannonball pierces through the veil of mist and hits the monster right in its, now visible, sharp metallic teeth. The creature shrieks and falls back into the sea, creating a huge wave.

"Alison!" I cry before the wave sweeps me up on to the ice. I land on my side on top of my still healing arm. Pain shoots down my limb and I roll on to my other side to take pressure off of it.

Then I hear laughing. An amused giggling that gurgles from the bubbling water. Two long sharp horns rise out of the water followed by cruel yellow eyes and two sets of jaws. A white scaled and metal horned serpent laughs and it was unmistakably Alison's laugh compiled with the laughter of hundreds of dead men and women.

"You," It breathes out misty air. Alison turns her gaze to the man named Rhubarb. He stands, unfaltering, facing my friend. "So you're the one I'll be dueling," Alison spits out the cannon ball that dented her steel teeth. "Good. I do enjoy challenges."

Alison laughs again and electricity crackles between her metallic horns.

"Get ready."


	26. Not For Your Eyes

_"Good afternoon. Are you new in town?" The golden haired princess at the counter in the inn greets us._

_"Why yes we are, my dear," I bow with a flourish. Blaire nods in acknowledgment and continues to stare blankly at the air. "We'll be living here quite soon but tomorrow we're off to visit an island," I explain, walking up to the counter and placing our luggage on the floor. "Maybe when we come back, you can show me around. May I ask for your name?"_

_"By any chance, do you know Ty?" Serenity asks, worry crossing her flawless features._

_"Why yes. She's my darling younger sister. I've been told that she's made quite the name for herself here. How did you know we were family?" I lean over the counter and flash my best grin._

_"She went about the same way greeting me. But, do you know what's happened to her?" Serenity asks, putting a hand on my arm._

_"I was told that she went to a place called Sho'Nuff." I reply, glancing briefly at Blaire. She had the expression of a nonplussed brick wall._

_"I'm so sorry. It's terri-" Serenity stops herself, not wanting to upset us. She thinks about the different ways she could break the news to us without distressing Ty's family but decides to settle on a straight answer. Dancing around the subject will just make it worse in her opinion. "She's been kidnapped by the pirates or ninjas or both at the island. But please don't worry! Everyone went over to help her."_

_I fake a gasp of horror and look over to Blaire. Still no change. At least pretend to be worried!_

_"How long? How long has she been gone?" I demand, making my shoulders shudder and I grasp Serenity's hand for added effect._

_"It's been just over a week since we got the message. Please don't worry. Everyone's gone to save her. We'll bring Ty back for sure!" Serenity assures us, squeezing my arm tighter to comfort me._

_"Is there any way we can get to Sho'Nuff now?" I inquire pleadingly._

_"It's getting quite late. If you can get a carriage to take you now without any stops, you could make it to Sho'Nuff by morning maybe?" She says, gently letting my hand go and examines the map of the continent on her counter top. "But I'm not sure if there are any willing to take you."_

_"You could come with me," A man cuts in. He had just come down the stairs, having heard some of our conversation. "There's enough room in the carriage I'm going in. Though you might want to travel lighter. Most of the room is taken up by my tools," He says as he approaches us. "I'm Konnan by the way," He reaches out to shake my hand. "Your sister will be fine. She's strong. She can handle herself."_

_"Thank you very much! My name's Eric and this is Blaire," I introduce myself and Blaire, who had disappeared. "Where did she…"_

_Blaire had walked off to read some fliers on a nearby wall. I suppress a sigh and go back to the conversation._

_"Don't mind her," I shake my head. "She's…something. I don't know." I shrug. Even to me, Blaire was unreadable. More so than usual as of late._

_"The carriage is close by. Just give me a moment, I need to grab some other things." Konnan says before running back up the stairs again._

_"Is there any chance that we could leave some of our bags here for the time being?" I ask Serenity. "I'm not sure where Ty and Alison are living at the moment and I don't even have a key so…"_

_"Of course. Let me find a place to put them. Which ones will you leave?" Serenity asks, stepping around the counter._

_"These two," I lift the bags and hand them to her. "Thank you so much."_

_"No problem." She takes the bags and opens a door to what I think is a storage room. I wait until the door closes behind her before I slide up behind Blaire._

_"You think we can make it when the real action starts?" I hug her from behind and rest my chin on her head. I had to bend low since she was so short. "We even came here early so we could see Ty trounce them with their backs turned and…what are you looking at?"_

_"These are all wanted posters." She states, scanning through the crumpled pictures of ruffians and their value on the bounty hunter market. One of them catches her eye and she frowns. For a second, a strong feeling of astonishment courses through her mind but vanishes in an instant. Being Blaire, she showed no sign of it outwardly._

_"Who's this?" I tear the poster that Blaire was so interested in off of the wall. "Drakath Slugwrath. Unfortunate name but this guy's worth a fortune! Him or his corpse. But it's strange…" I examine the poster closer. "Blaire, do we know him?"_

_"No but…I cannot explain this in a way that is reasonable…We have never seen this man but there is something familiar about him."_

_"So you feel it too. Hmmm, interesting." I fold the poster and stuff it into my shirt pocket._

_"Alright, I'm all done here," Konnan comes back down the stairs with a chest. "Shall we go?" He seems to be struggling with the chest but would not accept any help if I offered._

_"I put your bags away. They'll be safe while you're gone." Serenity smiles and bows after she comes out from the storage room._

_"Thank you Miss Serenity!" I smile back as I open the door for Blaire and Konnan. "I can't thank you enough." I blow her a kiss jokingly._

_"See you soon." Konnan says as he leaves the inn. Blaire follows and so do I._

_"Wait a minute," Serenity, after a moment of late realization, tries to stop us from leaving. "When did I tell you what my name wa-" The door closes behind us before she could finish._

_"That was a close one," I sigh, stretching my arms. "Hey Konnan. Are you friends with my sister?"_

_"Yeah, I think we're friends." He replies as we head to the carriage outside of town._

* * *

**Not For Your Eyes: Side of A**

"Alison!" I yell as loud as I possibly could. Alison lunges for the ship, her roar shakes the island and cracks the ice.

The man, Rhubarb, seeing that he and his crewmates were cornered with no time to counter, he stares straight ahead unflinchingly prepared for death. Some of the others were in the middle of jumping ship but with what Alison just demonstrated before, creating energy magic with her horns, there was no escape in the water either.

I cover my eyes, not wanting to see Alison obliterate them. I hear people screaming and Alison roaring and after what seemed like agonizing hours…

Alison's roar is abruptly stopped. Confused, I peek through my fingers to see Alison's jaws snap closed just a hairs length away from Rhubarb. Wondering how his torso was still connected to his legs, he furrows his brow and asks Alison a question.

"Why'd ye stop?"

"Hmpf. A brave one," Alison narrows her yellow eyes to further examine him. "By any chance did I hear correctly? Your name's Rhubarb?"

"And what does it matter, serpent?"

"Are you kidding me?" Alison rears back and groans, splashing the water out of frustration. "I was building to the climax and everything! Damn it!"

The other pirates peek out of their hiding spots and peer curiously at Rhubarb and at the monster throwing a tantrum by the ship. I was preoccupied by the waves crashing on to the ice because of Alison's movements. It was probably going to get worse from here so maybe I should just hurry and get to shore. But I don't want to leave Alison alone. It's not just because I'm worried. I'm afraid of what she might do if she knew I wasn't here to see it.

"Okay then," Alison sighs, her misty breath nearly topples the ship. "So since you're Rhubarb, I'm going to let you go."

"Wha-What?" Rhubarb and the other pirates gape at Alison. "What is the meaning o all o this?" Rhubarb demands, growing irritated. "We don't e'en know who ye are. Yer not pirates or ninjas. What do all o ye want?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Alison flicks her tail in annoyance. "We just want all of you dead. Except you," She points at the first mate with her tail and sea water drips on to the deck. "We just need you gone."

"Who are ye? Are ye working wit the ninjas?"

"That hardly matters," Alison scoffs, slapping the water with her tail. "And besides, the ninjas are going to be gone soon too. In a dead sense I mean."

"Alison! What are you saying? We didn't come here for that!" I try getting her attention but she either didn't hear me or ignored me.

Since when were we aiming to kill them all? I thought we were just here to bring back Ty! No one wants to actually kill anyone! I hope…

"I got a letter from my sister saying that she got attacked by you. And not only that, you hurt one of my friends. So hurry up. Are you going leave on your own or am I going to have to drag you off by force?"

Rhubarb takes a thoughtful stance, trying to make sense of what Alison had just told him. The other pirates were watching wearily, ready to fight back or flee if commanded to. Surprisingly no one, from where I could see them, look like they were suspicious of Rhubarb. They trusted him completely.

"Be ye saying one o me pirates took yer lass? Me an' me crew don't know anything about this! The ninjas must be the ones who took 'er!" Rhubarb concludes. There's something about the way he's speaking though. It's like he's grasping at straws now.

"Nice try but we know the ninjas are in it with you," Alison leers at them as they begin protesting their alliance with the ninjas. One even threw down his peg leg for emphasis. "Both of you crashed her ship and forced her off with her friends. One of them being your own. That's despicable, even for pirates. Have you no honor?"

Even if I was all the way down on the ice from where they were, I could tell Rhubarb was not taking that accusation well.

"No one accuses me o' bein dishonorable. Especially not a serpant," He grits his teeth, taking a step forward. "How do ye know it be one o us who took yer lass? Give us yer proof."

"If I do, will you consider leaving by yourself without a fuss?"

"I'll consider." Rhubarb nods.

"Fine," Alison sighs again, flicking her tail. "I don't have the letter with your threats right now but I can call up my captive sister with my magic to point her kidnapper out."

From her bag, that was somehow still in the boat with me, a crystal ball rolls out and floats into the air. It flickers gold light as it flies to Alison.

"Hello? Anyone there?" Alison tries to whisper quietly into the crystal but it still ended up sounding like shouting. "Ty, are you there? Ty? What the…" She squints at the crystal. "Are you sleeping? Wake up, sleepy head. Come on, wake up!" She was so loud that the pirates had to clamp their hands over their ears to keep them from going deaf. I hold my head between my knees to do the same.

"Grawwwwaawababble," someone on the other end growled. It was Lib!

"So you're the only one awake? Can you get Ty to wake up for me?" Alison asks.

In response, Lib growls again and it sounded like he was frustrated.

"You can't? Then, would you mind telling me about the pirates that attacked you?"

A long string of growls and babyish squawks follow. Alison nods at Lib's description of the pirates and finally concludes "I have no idea what you're saying. Is there anyone else that can translate?"

"Eeeeugh….who's shouting?" A voice, a man's voice, groans groggily. Who's that? He sounds familiar but I can't really tell who he is.

We hear him move around, gradually getting more aware and distressed about his surroundings.

"Where am I? What the-Are these ropes? Why am I tied up? What's going on?"

"Is that who I think it is? Number eight, is that you?" Alison swishes her tail back and forth in the water from amusement. "You got caught too? Or are you and Ty just messing around to pass the time?"

"Wait a minute. That voice…I know you. You're-"

"Right, so can you do me a favor?" Alison cuts him off. "I can't understand a thing Lib is saying right now and it'd be great if you could translate for me."

"What makes you think I'll do what you want? I can't even speak Dragon." The man scoffs. "And would you stop shouting? You're going to make this place cave in!"

"Hahaha," Alison laughs loudly on purpose, shaking the island. "Tell me, Eight. That monster can survive being crushed. Can you? I don't mind putting a body back together. It'll be just like a chunky jigsaw puzzle. It'd be a nice change from ripping them apart." She goes into another fit of laughter.

She's joking right? She has to be joking.

"Stop. Stop laughing so loud. You're going to kill us- Fine! Fine, I'll do it!" He shouts over Alison's crazed giggling. "But I told you, I don't understand Dragon speak."

"Right, you did mention that," Alison does the serpentine version of a shrug. Some of the pirates, thinking that Alison was distracted, thought that now was a good time to sail or swim away but a flash of energy from Alison's horns told them otherwise. "You know what a dragon amulet is, right? Use one."

"I don't have one."

"I know you're tied up at the moment but if you scoot over to where she is, you'll find a dragon amulet around her neck," Alison snickers. "Just touch it and you'll be able to understand him.

"My hands aren't free. Tell the lizard to set me free and I'll translate for you." The man offers.

In reply, Lib snarls and the crystal flashes brighter. The man yelps and that probably means that the man, whoever he was, wasn't going to be able to use his arms for a while.

"Shit! Okay, just back off." He gives before going completely silent. Then, I hear him grunt as he struggles to get up. Assuming his hands were tied behind his back and maybe his legs too, it was going to be awkward.

"Are you done yet?" Alison sighs, annoyed at his incompetence. "Hurry up."

"Shut it. Give me a moment…" He sounds flustered. "Ummm… how do I…Maybe if it's this angle…" We could hear him shuffle around, apparently as confused as I was on how to touch a girl without making it look weird. Luckily it was him making a scene out of it in front of a bunch of pirates and not me.

"…There. I'm touching the amulet." He says, voice muffled my something.

"Okay, mind repeating the description for me Lib?" Alison asks again and Lib goes over his description of their assailant with more growls and tiny high pitched roars.

"Eye patch," The man translates. "Black teeth. Might have been missing a limb. Bad sense of humor. "

"Ring any bells?" Alison leers at the wary pirates.

"That'd be describing near all o me buckos." Rhubarb replies without any sarcasm.

"He was also ugly," The man continues to translate. It wasn't helping. "But that's describing all of the disgusting pirates." That  _really_ wasn't helping.

"Okay, so I guess that didn't work out. Thanks for the help anyways, number eight. Be seeing you real soon." Alison promises before wrapping her tail around the crystal ball and tossing it over to me.

"Hey, wait-"The man tries to get one last word in before the crystal ball crashes into the ice.

Forgetting that she was now a gigantic leviathan monster snake, she threw the crystal ball right through the probably three foot thick ice. It sinks into the water and now there was no way for me to talk to Ty or that man.

"Since that option fell through," She turns her full attention back to the pirates. "Maybe that gave you some time to think. What'll it be Rhubarb? Are you going to go or are am I going to have to make you?"

"…I'll go with ye," Rhubarb bows his head. Some of the other pirates gasp in shock and others threw jeers at him, calling him a coward. He looks up again, glaring straight into Alison's eyes. "Well? Aren't ye goin to pick me up?"

"Aww man, I was hoping you were going to fight back. It would have been a better challenge but oh well." Alison leans her head closer to the ship to pick Rhubarb up.

"Well if ye want a challenge so bad," Rhubarb chuckles as he stomps twice on the deck and two hatches on the front of the boat open to reveal two loaded cannons. "Let me give ye one."

I shout Alison a warning but she notices too late. One cannon fires and hits here square in her stomach, making her double over. The other fires right after and hits one of her horns. The cannonball collides with the metal spike and knocks her back, shooting her energy beam into the sky.

"Move!" Rhubarb barks at his crew and they all jump into action. He raises a hand to signal the other ships to move closer together, surrounding his ship in a protective circle.

"Woah…" Alison shakes her head, trying to get a hold of herself. The strike to her horns rang her bell and she loses her balance, collapsing back down into the water.

"Alison!" I jump out of the boat and begin pushing it towards the water. I wasn't sure how I was going to help but I was going to try.

"To the ice!" Rhubarb commands just as Alison leaps out again. She aims for Rhubarb, jumping right into the middle of the circle of ships towards his. Just then, one of the other ships shoots something at her belly.

It wasn't a cannonball.

Alison screeches in pain and falls just short of Rhubarb's ship, crashing into the water. Immediately, the other pirates fire their weapons and now I could see clearly what they were.

"Ye must be new around these parts," Rhubarb calls to Alison as she staggered up from underwater. He was standing next to some sort of launcher. "We be pirates. We not be lily-livered like those land lubbers that fled. Sure we raid ships, hunt fer treasure but these waters be dangerous. Sea monsters swarm the eight seas of Lore. But this be the first time I met one that could blubber and moan," he mocks Alison and she lunges for him. He quickly releases the trigger on the launcher and a harpoon is shot into Alison's neck. Roaring in pain, she tries to dive back into the water but with all of the harpoons stabbed into her body, she couldn't escape.

"Me crew and I had these pretty lass' custom made fer yer kind," he pats the launcher. The harpoon launchers were bolted to the deck of the ships, ran on a system of gears, had chains connecting the launcher to the harpoon that were made of iron and two large cranks on both sides to let the pirates pull their target in. The pirates work fast to trap her. The ships circle around Alison and the pirates tighten the chains. The barbed harpoons pull and twist Alison and she contorts, screaming in pain. The chains and ships must have been incredibly strong. She was flailing and struggling but the harpoon launchers stayed bolted to the deck and the chains don't give. "The winds are blowing in me favor!" Rhubarb whistles and the pirates begin hauling her towards the ice. "

"Alison!" I push the boat on to the water and hop in, paddling my way towards the ships circling Alison as fast as I could. I probably couldn't do much to help the situation but it wasn't safe to sit on the ice either. The pirates that had jumped ship were already climbing up on the ice. I don't think they'd be willing to be civil.

Alison charges her energy attack, aiming for one of the ships but a cannonball hits one of her horns again. She goes limp, dropping into the water and starts to whimper or sob. The ships stop their movements and I paddle faster.

The pirates start to cheer, seeing that victory was theirs but Rhubarb raises his arm for silence. There was something wrong about this.

As Alison's whimpers grew louder, it became a cross between hard sobs and joyful giggling.

"…Yes?" He answers back, cautiously.

"How are you still just a first mate?" Her eyes turn up at him, curious. "Well, I guess it doesn't matter now. I just hope I can get you and that other guy out of here with all of your limbs still attached."

"I don't think yer in the right position to-" Rhubarb begins but then Alison's huge golden eyes roll back in their sockets. Rhubarb yells a warning to his crew to hurry to the ice as Alison starts to spin, wrapping herself up in the chains and pulling the ships down. Her movements were erratic; she was completely acting on pure instinct.

The pirates panic as she snarls, thrashing about. Her tail slaps one of the ships, crushing the hull and snapping one of the chains that bound her. The broken ship slowly sinks and its crew quickly abandon ship to escape being sucked down with it.

The other ships change formation to compensate and more cannonballs are fired at Alison. Though they seemed to have hurt her before, they did barely anything now. She attempts to dive, threatening to pull all of the ships trapping her.

The pirates fight back, pulling away in different directions to keep her from diving. Rhubarb was right; the wind was in his favor. It was starting to get crazy; blowing in all directions.

Do pirates use magic? What's going on?

Whatever it was, it was keeping the pirates afloat and throwing me around like a toddler at one of Falconreach's victory parities. In other words, I was being tossed around violently and I might cry or vomit if it doesn't stop.

The waves and wind were going to make the dinghy flip over and I can hardly paddle with one good arm let alone swim.

By some miracle, I had made it close enough to the fray to have one of the ships narrowly missing me as it crashes down into the water, unable to handle Alison's strength. Their harpoon launcher is ripped from the deck and the ship had tipped over in the process. The pirates jump into the sea, swimming towards the ice for safety.

"Help!" Someone cries. Looking over, I notice that close by one of the pirates had attempted to escape using a dinghy of his own. I don't know how it happened but half of his boat was missing and he was sinking fast. He was panicking and batting away at the water like he was convinced he could keep it away.

That's weird. Can he swim? Shouldn't pirates know how to swim?

By the time he was waist deep, his eyes begin to water and he glances around for his fellow pirates for help. All of them had hopefully reached the ice because none of them were here.

I couldn't just leave him to sink there. I paddle over the wild waves and poke him with one of the oars that I still had.

"Hey, you okay there?" I ask as he grabs on to the oar and kicks himself towards my boat as his sinks.

"Two sea monster attacks in less than a month," The pirate hacks and coughs out water as I pull him up with my good arm. "How do ye think I feel?" He takes off his eye patch and wipes his eyes. When he blinks, I realize that he still had both of his eyes. "I didn't know that the lass wasn't a slimy ninja. She be lookin a lot like the ninjas. And he really was still kicking," He frowns as another ship is smashed to bits by Alison's energy magic. A cannonball had hit her just before she fired the shot at the water and killed everyone. Wood splinters as pieces of the ship scatter across the water along with its crew. "This wasn't supposed to 'appen."

"Sorry, mister," I back up to the end of the dinghy. "I don't understand what you're talking about."

There were only four ships left now and one of them was Rhubarb's. The wind was blowing up a storm. Dark clouds were gathering overhead and it was starting to look like a hurricane was going to form.

The winds that had been helping Rhubarb and his pirates up till now had reversed and were pushing them back. It was going absolutely nuts, shoving and jerking the ships all over the place. It would only take expert sailing to even stay upright in those ships while this was going on.

"Oi, lad?" The pirate sniffles and rubs his red nose. I was startled. I didn't think he actually noticed me. "Be that yer friend?" He asks and I wasn't sure how to answer. Maybe picking him up was a bad idea. What if he tries to throw me off because I was Alison's friend?

"Um well…" I take a glance at Alison. She was hurt. The water, which had been somewhat clear before, was now stained with a dark, near pitch black, red. The expertly aimed harpoons and cannonballs had done their number on her but Alison wasn't backing down.

"This is nothing!" She snarls, barely comprehensible. She throws herself at another ship. Even with the other three trying to pull her away, she manages to crash against the ship and partially wraps herself around the body. The mast splits and tumbles into the water as she squeezes and crushes the ship, ridding herself of one of the harpoons in the process.

The pirates scramble for safety on the crumbling ship. Alison hisses and charges up her energy attack and, out of terror, I basically scream "Alison, stop!"

A cannonball hits her in the teeth, keeping her from attacking again. Rhubarb's ship sails by and, having lost its harpoon, resorts to distracting Alison.

Alison must have seen through the tactic and flings the ship across the water to crash into the icy shore. The wrecked ship shatters on the frozen surface along with its crew.

I wince at the sight, feeling helpless and useless as Alison switches her attention to the last two ships tying her down.

"I have no idea what's going on," I bury my face in my hands. "Was she lying to me? No, she didn't. Then why is this happening. We aren't here to invade or anything. This is all a misunderstanding. It has to be!"

"Oi, lad?" The pirate nudges me and I almost jump into the water from fright. "Ye ain't sure about what be happening?" He asks morosely, water dripping down from his nose.

"I just want to know what happened to Ty." I watch as Alison rams into one of the ships just as Rhubarb's ship hits her with another cannonball to keep her from using her energy magic. One missed cannonball and everyone in the water's dead. We might be in danger too. Even if we were in a wooden boat, it got pretty wet already.

"Pass me the paddle," He reaches out towards me with an open hand. I stare down at it, confused. Does he want to run away? "Yer arm be wrapped up," He points out the cast. "I'll row us to yer friend. Can ye get them to talk to me?"

"Huh? Um…Maybe…I'll try my best," I stammer. "I'm not sure I can though…I don't want her to do this either."

"Then holler as loud as ye can," He starts paddling towards Alison. "I be a coward at heart but…" He trails off as one of the ships barely escapes Alison's jaws. He paddles faster and swallows hard before continuing. "I not be letting all o Osprey sink to Davey Jones' locker o'er me mistake."

"Wait! Wait a minute!" I wave at him to stop. Alison had slammed one of the ships into the ice with her horns, crushing it like a walnut. With only one ship left that was tied to her, she dives dragging the ship down with her and we were getting too close.

The pirate curses and switches direction to keep from being sucked down with the ship. Pieces of wood and cloth float up to the surface and I hold my breath, waiting for someone to pop up to the surface.

"Come on, Alison," I plead, grasping my knees even when my fingers start to ache. "You aren't actually like this are you?"

The pirate overhears me and asks "Does she know yer watching?"

"Maybe she thought that I ran away when I saw her." I stammer, not wanting to think that Alison, or even Ty for that matter, was really capable of using that kind of power for something so…evil? Should I describe them as evil? "But they're my friends. I lived with them. I know them. I think I do."

"Don't ye think too much," The pirate tells me, taking the…disappearance of his friends pretty well. "Youngin's these days. Both ye lads and lasses bein more melodramatic than they used te," he grunts, paddling over a high wave.

Suddenly, huge bubbles rise to the surface and Alison bursts out, letting her triumph resonate across the sea.

I slowly stand and turn to my pirate companion "Hurry, we have to get to her before they drown. Maybe I can convince her to save them and-" My words get caught in my throat. Rhubarb's ship, having somehow caught a strong straight gust and huge wave in all of the chaos, was shooting towards us with unnatural speed.

"By the powers, jump!" The pirate throws himself out of the dinghy. Grabbing Alison's bag, I leap out of the way narrowly escaping being sliced in half by the ship. I plunge into the cold water, holding the bag tightly to my chest. The waters were dark and I didn't see the rough hand grabbing on to my shoulder for dear life.

I struggle to keep afloat and luckily, I got a hold of a stray plank of wood. I pull myself up, letting the pirate clutch my shoulders from behind.

I got up just in time to watch Rhubarb about to run his ship into Alison. At the same moment Alison, with only the whites of her eyes showing, aims another blast of energy at them. Rhubarb shouts at his crew to not falter and surge ahead.

I didn't even have time to shout her name again.

Just before the two collide, Alison releases her attack in a flurry of light and fire but before it could hit the ship, it descends down the crest of the wave just in time to let the energy beam burn through the mast. Caught off guard, Alison is smashed into the ice by Rhubarb's ship and it pushes them both on to the slippery surface.

Pinned by the heavy hulking ship, all Alison could do was struggle as the pirates climbed down from their ship, battered but still alive.

"Are you kidding?" Alison writhes and squirms under the ship, unable to comprehend that she had actually lost. "No. Not to a human. No way! There's no fucking way! It's impossible!"

"No creature of the sea, be they mouthy, cocky or not, 'ets the better of the pirates of Osprey," Rhubarb hobbles towards Alison's head. He was bleeding and bruised, clutching his limp left arm to his side. "I'll give ye a wee bit o credit. Ye mana'ed to catch us off our guard an' ye almost sunk all o me ships. But in the bloody end, we won." He draws his cutlass, getting closer and closer to Alison.

I start to kick myself towards her with the pirate still attached to my back. I need to get to them before it's too late.

"Now, serpent," Rhubarb points his cutlass at Alison's wary eye. "We know nothin' about yer missing friend and we would rather burn our booty than work with the ninjas. Since ye be in position to listen, we can talk."

Alison stops her struggles then and glares hard at Rhubarb. Her breathing slows and she closes her eyes for a moment.

"Those weren't all of your ships, were they?" Alison asks.

"O' course not," Rhubarb replies and the rest of his pirates begin to gather around him and circle Alison. "There are still more out sailing the sea at this very moment, includin' me captain's Red Betty. Ye hardly made a dent on us."

Even if Alison was a huge sea monster now, she couldn't do anything to defend herself if she was exhausted and held down by that ship.

"I need to hurry!" I pant, swimming faster than I ever had on that plank with her bag and the pirate hanging on to my back. He must have passed out; he hadn't said or done anything.

"Tell me," Alison makes a tiny grin and a hush goes over the pirates. "Will they have a home to come back to?"

Immediately, all of the pirates look back to gape at Osprey Cove. Black smoke billows from the shore and I realize that I had forgotten about everyone else. Eli and the others…Did they go to the pirate's home while Alison distracted them?

"You tried your best," Alison jokingly consoles Rhubarb when he turns and takes shaky steps to her, ready to slay her then and there. "If you slide fast enough across the ice, maybe on your bellies, you could make it just in time to watch the last of your home turn to ash."

"You wretch!" Rhubarb raises his cutlass and opts to sprint to her in his fury. He stumbles and falls on the ice, his cutlass slipping out of his grasp and sliding to bump Alison's nose.

"Well, aren't we all sad sacks?" Alison coughs, slowly opening her eyes. They had dulled considerably and her vibrant glimmering white scales had dimmed and had begun to flake off. "This body can't take much more so I guess it's time to end this in a way I can accept." Her metallic horns start to glow blue and radiate heat. The thick ice was melting and the pirates, including Rhubarb, stumble back. Alison lets her eyes roll back one last time and in a cheerful tone, she chuckles "Either I win or it ends in a draw. Sorry, Ty."

"Run!" Rhubarb hollers at his crew, staggering to get up.

"Duck!" The pirate, having suddenly regained life, pushes my head underwater. Under the surface, the shadows above the ice are enveloped by an intense white light. The sound of Alison's body exploding, though muffled by the water, rings in my ears painfully as we were swept back inside an enormous wave. The pirate digs his fingers into my shoulders as we're tossed around by the wave. I squeeze my eyes shut with the wooden plank and Alison's bag still in hand.

The pirate jerks me to the side all of a sudden and we narrowly dodge the mast of Rhubarb's ship plunge into the water right beside us. It grazes my arm instead and I lose the wooden plank. With nothing else to keep us floating, I panic and use all of the might I had left to swim up and up. I wasn't even looking where I was going anymore. That'd waste too much energy. The pirate does his best to help me, steering us in the right direction and weakly kicking us up as well.

My lungs and limbs burned with the effort but we get back to the surface to find nothing. There was nothing but water and tiny ice fragments around us.

I find the shore, still iced over a bit but the blast had cleared most of it just as it had cleared all of the pirates, what was left of their ships and Alison herself.

"No. Is everyone gone?" I sputter, trying to keep my head above water. I blink and blink, thinking that maybe I was just too tired and my vision was playing tricks on me. I can't see that far anyway…they're probably all okay. Just hiding maybe…

"Oi. Lad?" The pirate lightly slaps my cheek. "Lad, not the time to give up now. Lad, me eyes aren't all good. I can't see anyone. Say somethin' lad. Me arms and leg ain't good either; I be a seagull stuck in the water. Lad? What in the…Incoming!" The pirate pushes me under water again. Not the best idea considering I was almost half passed out.

A large shape splashes into the water in front of us. It sinks for a second before floating back up, bobbing in the water.

The pirate pulls me back up again and I gasp at the horrendous sight.

Alison. Alison's head had fallen right next to us. Not able to see her eyes, I call out to her. Hearing no response, I jump back to action again and weakly paddle towards her. Once my fingers had touched her broken horn, I call out to her again, feebly whacking her head to get a response. I call and call until my voice became a rasp and the pirate had to warn me to stop. I was losing too much energy and he was depressed enough already.

"C'mon, lad. Yer friend would want you to live. Must've…fallen here fer a reason."

"…The bag…"

"What?" I cough, eyes stinging. "Did you say the bag? Why do you need her bag?"

"Me? Are ye hearing things now, lad?" The pirate asks.

"…The bag…"

The murmur, just a smidge louder than the sound of the lapping water, made me shiver. Without thinking much on it, I reach into Alison's bag and miraculously pull out an empty jar. Alison's head started to release steam then and her scales and skin break down. The pirate was growing frightened. I should be frightened too but I feel really really sleepy.

Alison's head was gradually falling apart, melting into the water and I let my hand fall into the water. The sea water fills us the jar at first but then something pushes it out and starts filling the jar instead.

Seeing that, I let my eyes close still holding the horn for support, instinctively knowing that I had to regain as much energy as I possibly could.

"Oi, lad! Don't fall asleep! We be sinking!" The pirate tries to rouse me but I knock his hand away.

"We have time…just let me sleep for a while," I mutter. "But Alison…I might not make it back all the way…"

The minutes tick by as I fell into a dreamy state. I was still awake and holding on to Alison's disintegrating horn but at the same time, I was far out enough to be able to rest. I needed to take all that I could get.

"…Go…" The voice inside my head breathes and it feels like I didn't get enough time.

Instantly awake, I stuff the full jar into Alison's bag and push off what was left of Alison's horn with the pirate hanging on to my back. I swim conservatively with my aching limbs, inching towards the shore. It was progress and I think I could make it far. The soft voice in my head was telling me I could, encouraging me to keep going. It whispers its apologies as well.

Pushing through the salty water, I glance down every now and then to search the water. It was hard to see anything because of how dark everything looks.

"Lad, can ye make it?" The pirate's question sounds muffled and I think it was because I was going to pass out again. Something in the back of my mind urged me to keep going but I don't think I can. "Lad? Lad, yer sinking!"

Hearing his warning, I push myself up to get a mouthful of air but only succeeded in swallowing a lungful of water instead. I was too tired to keep myself from falling deeper and eventually, it all became black. The voice softly screams and shrieks for me to wake but it was…not possible anymore.

I couldn't do anything but drift.

* * *

"Where do you think you're going?"

Strong hands grab my sinking shoulders and haul me up on a dry deck. They push down on my chest and water spews out of my mouth before I'm able to gulp in air. I turn on my stomach and go into a fit of coughs, attempting to re-inflate my lungs.

"Oh good, you didn't really breathe much in. I guess you were just about to fall asleep." A man pats me on my back. "Are you okay?"

"Lad! We be saved!" My pirate companion cheers. "Look!"

Groaning, I wipe my mouth and try pulling myself up but slump back down when my arms give out.

"Whoa there Ash, don't get ahead of yourself. Here, let me help," Our rescuer props me up in his little boat. "We came just in the nick of time. We picked up all of your pirate friends before that monster lit the entire beach up." He points down towards other ships.

I had to squint to see them but many small boats with pirates and people dressed from head to toe in black were sailing around the broken ice towards Osprey Cove. In particular, a man wearing a golden helmet and red scarf had sat Rhubarb down on his boat.

"Ninjas? I thought you guys didn't like each other." I rub my eyes, making sure I was seeing clearly.

"Aye," the pirate agrees. "Let me make a guess. There are bigger fish in the sea at the moment."

"You got a good head on your shoulders," The man smiles at the pirate. The pirate, pleased with himself, laughs joyfully and makes a crude joke about the intelligence of ninjas and something related to alcohol. The ninja laughs along before turning his attention back to me.

"We actually came to attack you first," The man, who was most likely a ninja, explains. "We thought that you pirates were planning something absolutely diabolical so we decided to make the first move. Unfortunately that weakened you enough for those outsiders to attack you. I'm sorry but I don't think there's much left of your town. They're going to check out the town but I think we'll be heading somewhere different, if you don't mind of course."

The pirate stops laughing at this and he slowly bows his head, holding his hands together. He looks kind of guilty.

"Oh and here's your bag," The ninja drops Alison's soaking wet bag into my lap. "I don't think anything fell out."

"Wow, thank you!" I bow my head gratefully to him. Then the realization hits me and I freeze before I could check on the jar. This guy was a ninja. Alison accused the ninjas of kidnapping Ty. He knew my name before I actually told him.

"Something wrong? You look paler." The ninja asks, frowning in concern as he kneels beside me.

"How do you know my name?"

"I've been hearing a lot of rumors about the new hero hailing from Falconreach. It's difficult to separate facts from elaborated gossip but if you look hard enough, you'll find that Ty is very good friends with a cute boy named Ash and her sister, Alison, is a very flamboyant new resident of Falconreach," He reaches his hands out to both of us. "But no need to worry about that right now. No need to worry much about anything. I'll keep you both safe."

The pirate reaches out to shake his hand and not wanting to look too apprehensive, I reach out as well. Instead of taking our hands, he takes our wrists. Is it a kind of custom?

"Name's Chiffon. I'd tell you I be a captain o me own ship but…I sailed into some trouble a while ago." The pirate grins, embarrassed as he shakes the ninja's hand.

"You know my name already but I'm Ash. I can't thank you enough for saving us." I copy Chiffon's gesture and force a smile.

"You can call me Tomoe," Tomoe lets our hands fall. "I'll be your kidnapper today."

"What?" I stare at him and he points down at our wrists. They were shackled together. "How? Why? I-"

"Don't think too much about it. I'm not even going to ask you questions. Don't you worry about a little thing. As long as you're my useful hostages, you won't lose your heads." The ninja begins to laugh and laugh and laugh.

"Well…" The pirate toys with his shackles. "Maybe we should ha'e drowned."

I didn't argue. I just faint.

* * *

**Not For Your Eyes: Side of T**

_"Ty, your garden looks really nice now. You've gotten so much better." Beathan lets his fingers brush against the pink ambrosia flowers. They were his favourites._

_"I grew them thinking about you. I always think of you and Virelai once a day before I go to bed." I was lying on my back in the yard of our new house. "I'm sorry I don't think about you in the day too but…I don't think I could even stand right if I did."_

_"I'm glad you don't then. Health comes first," Beathan comes to sit beside me. "So this is your new home in Lore? That's the name right?" He lets his eyes scan the clearing._

_"I'm dreaming again? It seems more vivid than before," I ask, still enjoying the summer sun shining its comforting rays down on us. It was nice but for some reason my neck feels too hot, like someone was breathing on it. "You would have loved the sun here. It's perfect for a little guy like you. There are a bunch of fae in the area too."_

_"Virelai would have liked cloudier weather. And water. Lots of water," Beathan comments, sniffing one of the flowers he plucked._

_"I really am dreaming again right? How come Virelai doesn't appear as often anymore?" I pick one of the flowers and start pulling off its petals._

_"She'll appear sooner or later. Maybe your mom and dad will visit again too. I like talking to them."_

_"You definitely would have. Especially dad. You both would probably go on and on about gardening, flowers and butterflies or whatever while mom and I nap. This is perfect napping weather but-" I sit up and stretch. "I think I should wake up soon. My dreams about you, Virelai and everyone else are great but right now I have something important to do."_

_"Don't overwork yourself too much, Ty," Beathan pinches my cheek lovingly. "While I do like seeing you, it also means that you're close to dying from exhaustion or otherwise."_

_"Maybe that's why I haven't eaten anything for the last few days," I turn to him and lean closer. "I don't see you enough anymore. We used to be able to meet when I just fell asleep."_

_"You need to stay in reality too," Beathan frowns sadly. "As much as I love being with you, Ty, you're walking a different plane from us now. You need to-" Beathan slaps his hands over his mouth and backs away shaking his head._

_"No no no, why are you here? You shouldn't be here! You should be asleep!"_

_"What?" I was taken aback by his behavior. My dreams of him are always pleasant. This hasn't happened since that thing in my head was about to take over me when I was asleep. So does that mean…"Beathan, what's going on? Is the monster in my head about to take over again? But I don't feel sick! I didn't think or talk about that monster! I didn't touch anyone either! Am I dying already?"_

_"No, it isn't her this time," Beathan shakes his head slowly, hugging his shoulders. "Ty, whatever you do…don't look beside you. Don't."_

_I blink and Beathan vanishes._

_It was just me in the garden now. The sun was still shining and the flowers were still blooming beautifully and delicately. Birds chirp and bees buzz around the flowers as I slowly lay myself back down to gaze up at the spotless sky. I didn't dare let my eyes wander._

_I was terrified. I didn't want to move. Beathan's gone. Why am I still here? Why am I still sleeping? Shouldn't I be awake back in the cave now?_

_"Hey," I say before swallowing to keep my voice level. "Who's there? Are you sitting beside me? What do you want?"_

_Silence._

_I need to listen to Beathan. I can't look at whatever is lurking beside me but I need to know what's there. I reach my hand back, edging my fingers across the cool grass. I reach farther hoping that whatever was there didn't bite._

_My fingers touch something deathly cold and strangely familiar. I grab at the coldness and it grabs back. A great sense of loss and fear overcomes me and forces me to turn and look._

_There was just a white sheet behind me. It was covering something that was human shaped. My hand had reached under the cloth and was holding on to its hand._

_Before I could stop myself, I began to tear up and lunged for the person under the sheet._

_"Who are you?"_

* * *

 

"What the-" Drakath winces when I grab his neck. "What are you doing?" He glares at me, wriggling in his restraints.

"What?" I scoot back, breathing shakily. I raise my gloved hand to touch my forehead. "What am I doing?" I was back in the cave with Lib and Drakath. The orb was flickering and the calm breeze had become erratic again. "I'm back in the cave…" I repeat my thoughts out loud, reassuring myself that I really was awake.

"I was dreaming about…" I trail off, biting on my cheek. Why can't I remember my dreams anymore?

"Beathan you mean?" Lib lands on my head. "You mutter in your sleep, Butterbrain," He says when I glance up at him curiously. "Who's he? Another brother? A sister?"

"No, Beathan is…" I trail off, shaking my head. I'm not hurting. I don't feel dizzy. I feel just cold.

"Who's that?" Drakath sneers from his spot on the cave floor. "One of your idiotic friends?"

"That's none of your fucking business!" I snap at him angrily.

Drakath was at a loss for words, gaping at me in a way that a child would have reacted when their parent or friend had cursed at them for the first time. I've never talked to him that way before.

"Butterbrain?" Lib hops down from my head down to the floor beside me. "Something wrong? Nightmare?"

"No I-" I take a deep breath in and hold it, closing my eyes and curling myself into a ball. "I need a moment."


	27. Planning for Catastrophe?

_"We're getting close." The person at the helm warns us._

_Blaire, Konnan and I were nearly there now. The person at the helm was from Aika and he was helping the last of the adventurers from Falconreach get to Osprey._

_That was the plan. We were now heading towards the Shadow of the Wind Village instead._

_"What was the plan before?" I ask Konnan but he seemed stuck in his own thoughts. He had explained to me the details of what was going on before but it seems that whatever Alison was probably planning was falling apart._

_Already the people around me were becoming sensible._

_"Now that I think about it…" One of the mages on board thinks. "That letter…was that really her writing?"_

_"We just sort of assumed that it was both the ninjas and pirates were screwing around with us…" Another person thinks from below deck._

_"I wonder if I can hit it up with Alison when this is all over." A rogue thinks and sighs at his daydream. That is not a good idea, friend._

_"I don't know what's going on," Konnan shakes his head. "My weird headache's gone though. But all of a sudden…all of this is very strange…"_

_"Is it now?" I turn back to look over the railing. What have my sisters gone and done now?_

_"Say, where's your sister?"_

_"Blaire? She's-" I take a glance over my shoulder and scan the deck. "She's gone. Again. Drat." I push myself off the rail and quickly head under the deck with Konnan on my heels._

_Darn it all, if she weren't so quiet I might have noticed that she left. Where did she go?_

* * *

"Alright," I sit back up after maybe ten minutes of deep breathing, startling both Lib and Drakath as I did. "Let's get back to work." I roll my shoulders back and crack my joints.

I'll pretend none of that had happened.

I just need to get it off of my mind. I just need to get distracted. I'll ask questions later.

"What the-"

"Now where was I?" I stretch my arms and groan. "Right, I should be getting us out of here." I go back to moving the rocks out of the way again.

"Wait! Wait just a second! What was that?" Drakath demands, rolling himself closer to me, arms and legs still tied up, and tangling himself in our capes. I found what he was doing hilarious and laugh much to his dismay. "Hey! This is your fault! Cut me loose now!"

"That's funny," I snicker, pulling a rock out from the wall and placing it by my feet. "Did you really think I'd let you roam free with an attitude like that?" I tug at another rock as Drakath fumes. Just as I pull it loose, a stiff gust of wind blows in from the gap I made. "Oh! I must be going out the right way."

"Release me now!" Drakath starts thrashing and squirming in his ropes. The Orb beside him glows brighter and the air inside our cavern swirls violently.

The wind manages to knock me over and bounce on Lib's tail. That surprises him enough to spray a whole jet of water into the cavern to soak all of us. Predictably, that also made Drakath angrier. He spews curses at me and, as if the air was synchronized with his bitching, the wind blows in from the gaps in the walls hard enough to make the rocks shake.

Not wanting the rocks to cave in on us, I jump over and pin him on to the ground to keep him from moving. My sudden movement alarms him enough to make him shut up for a few seconds. Taking advantage of that, I pull him up and push him against the wall.

"Okay, here's the deal," I sigh, holding him against the wall "I'm allowed to have nervous breakdowns because when I have them, I don't create a miniature typhoon. So, calm the fuck down or I'm going to force you into a time out nap. Kay? We're both stuck here and since you're probably too stuck up to help us get out, just sit here and look pretty or something."

He got the message, I think.

"You…" he mutters before clamming up and looking away from me. That was when I noticed something else.

"By the way," I move back and run my fingers up through his damp hair to get the stray strands away from his forehead. "Ah, so you're the type of person who also looks good when they're soaked. Okay." I nod to myself before getting back up and fastening my cape back on.

"T-that…What? What? Wha?" I leave him stammering by the wall and Lib flies up to me.

"Was that on purpose?" Lib asks as the wind slows down to a staggered breath. I stare back at Lib, not sure of what he meant.

"What do you mean?"

"…Nothing. Let's just get out of here." He glides down the damp floor. "I'm hungry though. Butterbrain, I want something to eat."

"Right. I forgot we have to eat. Hmmm, I guess a few minutes won't hurt." I sit myself down and lean back on the wall. I'm sure whatever Alison's planning doesn't need me. I might lose our little competition though. That's really irritating actually. I almost groaned in frustration but I held it in. I'll concentrate on eating.

I didn't really feel the need to eat though. I ate enough to keep me going back in Okami's camp while I was working with him. But I should eat something. I should think about what Tomoe might be planning too. A full stomach might help with that.

"Here's your dragon chow." I toss Lib a paper bag filled with his food and he catches it with his jaws. He sets it on a dry spot on the ground, sticks his head in and starts munching. It sounded like he was ripping apart a squirrel.

"I actually don't have much." I reach in and grab a single apple from my pack.

"All you brought was fruit and bread for the entire trip. Why didn't you take some from camp?" Lib asks, not bothering to look up or even finish chewing.

"I like fruit and sweet things and they're still fresh enough. I didn't think we were going to have time to sit and eat. I thought all of this was going to be over today." I pull out one of my throwing knives, debating whether or not I should peel the apple.

The knife also brought something else to my attention. I sneak a peek at Drakath and find that he had decided to turn his attention to the wall and mutter instead of finding another reason to fight. He catches me looking so I smile at him. He frowns and averts his eyes again.

"Oops," I accidentally on purpose lost my grip on my knife somehow and it lands on Drakath's lap. He jumps a bit, surprised by the knife's appearance. "Ah…Oh well, I don't feel like going to get it." I shrug and turn my attention back to the apple.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Drakath stare at me warily as I pretend to inspect my apple for bruises. Slowly, he takes my knife and begins to cut the ropes away. The only reason I tied him up in the first place was to keep him from jumping me while I was working. I hadn't thought that I was going to fall asleep so I guess tying him up helped me out a lot more than I thought it would. He strikes me as the type that has no problem gutting someone in their sleep. I have my eyes on him now so it should be okay.

Also, he must be starving. He hasn't left the cavern in forever. How many times did I see him eat while I was watching him through my crystal ball while I was sitting in Okami's camp? Not enough I suppose.

"One two-" I snap the apple in half and the juice runs down my wrists.

"What are you, a bear?" Lib snickers before going back to his chow. Didn't he call me that already?

"Hmmph. Well you're-Oops!" I pretend to accidentally throw one half of the apple at Drakath. It bounces off of his chest and lands on his lap too. "Well drat." I shrug again and take a bite out of my half of the apple.

It takes me two seconds to finish the apple off and I reach into my bag and fish out my canteen of water. Thankfully I decided to refill it with fresh water before I left the camp so it wasn't stale. I uncap the canteen and gulp the water down, drinking until the canteen was half full. Putting the cap back on, I wipe the side of my mouth and spy Drakath sitting with his back to me, trying very hard to hide the fact that he had been watching.

"Butterbrain, is there something on your neck? He was staring at it while you were drinking." Lib notes, wolfing down the last of the dragon chow.

"Is there?" I rub my neck, checking for a scratch or bug or whatever Drakath was staring at. "There doesn't seem to be anything," Maybe I should ask him. Or not. I don't think I'll ever get a straight answer from this guy. "It's probably nothing."

I look down at the canteen, tossing it from one hand to the other. I was just pretending to play around with it so I could by chance, fling the canteen at Drakath.

"For the-" Drakath stops himself, sighing hard. "…Just give it to me." Drakath reaches out towards the canteen while he bore holes into the wall with his stare. I take a moment to recognize that he actually was asking me directly.

"Thanks for asking nicely." I chuckle, passing the canteen. He snatches the canteen from my hand and starts gulping back the water himself. He almost forgot to uncap it. I really want to make a joke about it but I think I'll stave off stabbing at his pride for now. He seems tired.

"Eeeew," Lib sticks his tongue out at the both of us. "He's drinking your spit!"

"I don't slobber that much you know," I shoot a glare at Lib and rub my eyes. My eyelids feel heavy again. That's not right. I just slept. I don't want to dream again right now. "Hey, distract me. Talk to me." I go back to moving the rocks away.

"Was that dream supposed to be a nightmare?" Lib inquires. You could've asked anything, Lib. Anything but it had to be about that. "It made my head hurt."

"Wait, how did it make your head hurt?"

"It didn't hurt at first. It was nice. When I closed my eyes, I saw you in the garden back home. Your plants weren't totally ugly and your Beathan was there. Is he my dad?"

"You can see my dreams?" I whisper, turning around and scooting over to him. "Is this some kind of Dragon thing or is because of this?" I point at the dragon amulet wrapped around my neck. "I don't know how to feel about this." I kinda like my dreams private but lately…maybe it'd be better to have at least one person er…dragon baby knowing about them.

Drakath was interested again. I'm not sure but it might have been causing the wind to pick up a bit.

"I have no idea. But is Beathan my dad?" Lib asks again.

"I guess so. Beathan would've made a great father. Though you might eat him by accident. He was so tiny," I comment, imagining Beathan taking care of Lib. He would have liked napping on Lib's back and would coo over Lib's changing colors. The day dream made me smile. "He was like Lady Celestia in a way. I think you'd like him better than me. I might like him better than me. We both liked him better…" I trail off almost forgetting that I shouldn't ever mention or even think about the voice.

Apparently my happiness was making Drakath annoyed. The wind was getting a little...violent? It was making the rocks on the ground shift and move.

"Everything okay with you?" I ask him. He was clutching my canteen hard enough to create dents.

"Shouldn't you be getting us out?" He scoffs, turning back to the wall.

"I guess that's what I should be doing. After all, I can't let the princess get his hands dirty." I smirk as he fights the urge to attempt to break my neck. I couldn't help teasing him just a little bit.

"You…" He growls. The Wind Orb, reacting to his emotions, was stirring the wind up enough to make it dangerous. It might cause a cave in.

"Okay okay, no more joking. Calm down," I raise my hands in front of me. "But you seem quiet all of a sudden. I thought you'd be more talkative."

"Do you really want to listen to this loser talk?" Lib sniffs. "Talk about Beathan more."

"Well, I actually don't mind listening to him but if you want me to talk more about Beathan-"

The wind was making the walls rumble again. Drakath was glowering in the corner, giving both Lib and I the evil eye.

"Uh…I don't want to be turned into chutney." I laugh uneasily. Shit, if that Orb goes off now, I think we'll all go splat.

Then Lib starts growling, leering in Drakath's direction.

"How come we can't talk about dad just because this loser is jealous?" Lib snarls.

"What did he just call me?" Drakath demanded, turning to me.

"Okay, we're in a cave that-" The wind was blowing everywhere and my hair flies into my face. I brush the strands away and attempt to talk over the roaring wind. "I know you guys would like to fight and normally I'd love to watch but now isn't-"

"What did he just call me?" Drakath repeats himself, glaring at Lib.

"He called you a loser. It's not that bad, I mean I call you worse things," I say. "He also called you jealous. Lib, what do you mean by jealous?"

"What do you mean by jealous?" Drakath mimics my words in a much more murderous tone.

"Look at yourself, man. You're arguing with a baby that isn't even a month old." I interject.

"I saw him!" Lib accuses, stamping his tail on the ground. Steam was literally coming out of his tiny ears

"Saw him do what?" I ask, glancing at Drakath quizzically. Drakath immediately turns white as a ghost before glaring at Lib.

"Shut up, right now." Drakath threatens the baby dragon, ready to lunge at him. Lib spreads his wings, threatening to do the same as his scales turn to a harsh red.

"Mom, stay away from this freak!" Lib snarls, stepping forward. "He was wide awake!"

"Awake?" I repeat and raise a brow at Drakath. He was starting to look very nervous. "Was that while I was asleep? Was he trying to kill me? That's normal."

"It was when you let him sleep on your lap. He was awake, I saw him," Lib bears his teeth. "He liked it, I saw!"

Drakath must have known what Lib was talking about since he started protesting in rushed jibberish. "Whatever that runt is saying, I didn't like it!" was the only thing I could pick out. Already, his words were telling.

"Oh, is that it?" I laugh. "You're all overreacting. It's fine," I try assuring both of them. "I mean, Beathan and Virelai loved sleeping on my lap. They even said that they gained magical powers from my thighs." I snicker at the silliness of the phrase. Magic thighs; that sounds terrible.

"Another one? Who's Virelai?" Drakath groans.

"Another mommy?" Lib asks, perking up.

"I think Virelai would be another mommy. Not the best mommy maybe but an interesting one," I smile at the thought and Lib flaps his wings excitedly. Drakath, on the other hand, looks like he wants to punch a hole in the wall. "But yeah, there's no need to be embarrassed about it."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Drakath says through clenched teeth.

"He does! I know he does! He was trying to steal the magic from your thighs!" Lib's accusation made me double over in laughter.

"That's it!" Drakath jumps at Lib. Lib dodges easily and sprays him with a blast of ice cold water. It was a strong enough blast to throw him against the wall. Drakath didn't back down and lunged at Lib again and they both start grappling with each other.

Watching them reminded me of a time when Eric was telling me and…someone else the beginning of an epic of a great hero. He was rusty when he started off but for a kid who was barely out of his teeny bopper years, he was freaking amazing. He got into a sort of rivalry this super old, probably like over million years old, deity and they'd fight and smack talk and the deity would bully the poor kid for no good reason at all. I found it ridiculous. For someone who was supposed to be part of the Dii Consentes, he was sort of an immature dickhole. Then again, in the words of my brother, near all of the Dii Consentes were immature dickholes. Much like Drakath here actually.

"Both of you are such kids. Lib literally but c'mon Princey. I'm thinking you value your pride, right?"

The two completely ignored me and it seems like Drakath was having trouble keeping up with Lib. At the moment, Lib had him stuck in a choke hold

"Y'know Lib," I try taking a different approach. "I'm sensing some kind of favoritism for two people you haven't even met in person from you. If you're going to be that way, know this. Beathan hated violence. He'd get so sad when I got into a fight or even raised my voice at a brick."

"Beathan Beathan Beathan, is he all you ever talk about?" It was Drakath that answered me instead as they roll on the ground. He was beyond irritated, saying Beathan's name like it was an annoying bug buzzing around the room just out of reach. "What, were you married or something?" He scoffed.

"We are."

"Ha! I…" Drakath and Lib freeze. Drakath was about to throw a punch but looked like he had been punched in the stomach himself. Lib had been about to burn Drakath's face off but now he was ready to do that anyway albiet with a smugger expression.

Before he could, I rush over and pluck Lib out of Drakath's hands. All Drakath did was lie there in the same position as I fight to calm Lib down.

"Ha, how do you like that, Slugface?" Lib taunts, turning a shade of triumphant gold. "You can't get my mom now!"

"Ignore him. Nothing he's saying now makes sense to me. With both of you calmer now, I can get us out of here safely. You are calmer now, right?" I ask Drakath, just to make sure.

He sits up, wiping the water from his brow, blankly staring down at the floor for a bit.

"Uh, is that a yes?"

"I-" He turns his head up to look at me. His eyes narrow, his shoulders start to shake in fury and he was about to yell at me but then everything fucking exploded.

I hadn't noticed that the orb was flashing like a strobe light, since all of us were pretty caught up, and the wind blew up into a full tornado. It breaks down the stone walls and flings Drakath, Lib and I sky high.

Lib and I grab on to each other and I hug the dragon to my chest as we were launched across the water. Even with my senses screaming at me, Lib squealing at me and Drakath screaming, I regain my composure and roll to the side in midair to dodge a flying boulder. I bump into Drakath and grab on to his arm to keep us together. He was too freaked out to care.

We all were caught in a tornado taking us to who knows where.

Wait a sec.

I crane my neck to look around and even with the roaring wind making my eyes water, I saw the glowing Wind Orb floating in the center of this mess. It must be taking us to the Shadow of the Wind Village. The fox's plan was working. All I had to do now was dodge the rocks and shark people corpses flying in the wind with us until we reach our destination.

Hold on. Dead shark people?

"Oh fucking shit!" I shriek, pushing Lib, Drakath and I out of the way of a soggy projectile dead shark man.

"So that's where they went!" Lib yells over the wind and I discover that it was somehow possible for Drakath to scream even louder than he already was.

So now we were stuck in a raging tornado with rocks that would break us into pieces if they smashed into us and shark corpses that might do the same and also make me piss myself. I'm beginning to think that the guy screaming his lungs up, now clinging on to me for dear life, had already done so.

"Just hold on! I'll keep us safe!" I shout, trying to keep my own nerves in check. That was difficult enough with the rocks and dead Galeocerda around but those corpses had also been charred and torn to shreds. It wasn't a pretty sight by my standards at least.

"Get it off! Get it off!" Drakath yelps. A stray torn up piece of stomach had stuck on to Drakath's shoulder and he was too busy squeezing the life out of my arm to brush it away. I reach over, tug the piece of meat off of him and squint at it to decide whether or not I should keep it. It was too damaged so I let Lib have it as a snack. It made Drakath look like he was gonna hurl.

"Keep it together! I think we'll be there soon!" I grin at him nervously. The greenish tinge of queasiness goes back to red and, recognizing his look, I crush his arm in my grip before he could push me away.

"Again with this, asshole?" I yell, struggling to keep him from pushing me away. "What the shit is your problem? You're driving me up the wall today!"

"I hate you!" He shouts, wriggling in my arms.

"We've established that, fuck face. But I think you love being alive a lot so bear with me!"

"No! Go drown in a ditch, you dog!"

"Oh, you're calling me the dog?" I laugh. "I'm not the one at the beck and call of a corpse!"

"Stuff it, hag!"

"Fuck you, cock sucker!"

"Bitch!"

"Whore!"

"What was that?" Drakath snarls, reaching over to grab the collar of my cape and pulling me closer to him.

"Don't pretend you didn't hear me!"

"Butterbrain, that didn't make sense at all." Lib sniffs, voice barely audible in the wind.

"Lib, did you mean whore or cock sucker? Either way, he's almost too ugly to be both." I sneer, grabbing at Drakath's collar myself. I let the implication of my words hang in the raging wind before the real meaning hits Drakath.

"You revolting-I'll rip your throat out, peasant! But it's probably too dirty and disease ridden to handle. I bet it gets sore often."

Oh, so we're going to start being like that now?

"You aren't a Prince anymore, Drakath. You certainly don't have the brains to keep a throne either. I'm surprised you even manage to keep a group of dumb bandits together or maybe you also-"

"Don't you dare finish that!" He swings a fist at me and it connects with the side of my face, sending my head reeling back.

"You fucker!" I head-butt his mouth. His head's knocked back and he clutches at his jaw, feeling pain in his teeth.

In an instant, we were a ball of flying fists and kicks. I land a bunch, always aiming for the face and the stray elbow to the stomach. He took pain better than I remembered. His punches were harder too. One hits me right in the sternum. It winds me long enough for him to punch me again. It also hurts his hand because he throws punches like a dumbfuck.

I wrap my fingers around his throat and squeeze and he regains enough composure to do the same. We fight to see who could strangle the other first. I could feel his blood rushing through his jugular as I tighten my grip and he probably felt the same from me. In the confusion, Lib bites down on an arm. He could have bitten Drakath's arm or mine but neither of us paid any notice to anything that wasn't each other. We were glaring at each other so hard that sparks were flying or maybe the lack of air was making me see things.

And then there really was a lack of air. A lack of wind to be precise.

The tornado had just stopped without any warning.

In that moment, we realize that we were probably going to take a very painful and fatal fall and all of my anger fades. I didn't really think about it. I just let go of his throat and latch on to him, wrapping my arms around him and scream as we fall. Drakath was most likely going through the same thing I was when he copied my actions.

"I'll see you at the bottom!" Lib says, flying off and Drakath and I fling curses at him as he disappears into safety.

"Shit, I don't wanna die!" I stammer, tears forming in the corners of my eyes. "I at least want to fade away in the arms of someone pretty."

"I-I, fuck!" Drakath squeezes his eyes shut and hugs me tighter.

In our last moments, nothing intelligent came out of our mouths.

I dare glancing downwards to see how far we were from turning into a pile of overly chunky salsa. Oh, beautiful. We're going to fall into the ocean so it'll be overly chunky, salty and watery salsa. At the speed we were falling, it was going to be like hitting solid stone.

Fifteen seconds maybe and we'll die in a rainstorm of rocks and dead Galeocerda.

"I don't understand. The Orb was supposed to take us to The Shadow of the Wind Village." I mumble to myself, bracing for the landing. Why did it stop in the middle of the ocean? Unless…

The Wind Orb catches up to us, falling to float beside us. It whips up a small whirlwind that slows our descent.

"Huh?" Drakath opens his eyes and looks up. "We're not dying?"

"I guess not," We look at each other and Drakath makes the face again. "No you don't," I hold on to him tighter when he tries to shove me away. "I'm not letting you go till we hit the…water."

The panic hits me and I begin to quiver.

"No no NONONONONONONONO!" I start hyperventilating and my vision starts to blur worse than when Drakath was choking me. "Not there. NOT THERE!" I try scrambling to get free, somehow thinking in my disoriented state of mind that I could climb my way up the sky.

"Calm down!" Drakath grits his teeth, trying to keep me still. "You're going to make us fall! What's wrong with you?"

"I can't!" I sob, feeling light headed and dizzy. "That thing! I'm going to get pulled down!"

"By what? There isn't anything down there!" Drakath glances down again. "Wait. Is that a ship down there? Is it yours?"

"Huh? A ship? I don't…Shit." I curse, looking down at the grand Red Betty, her colors flapping in the wind.

The day keeps getting worse.

"Alright, deep breaths," I slowly blow out a steady stream of air to calm my nerves. "I'm not going to drown. I'm not going to drown," I repeat to myself slowly. "Drakath, when we get on to the deck-" I stare right into his green eyes to make a point of how serious I was. "Follow my lead and we'll get out of this alive."

"But-"

"Just be natural!" I cut him off. "I don't know what's happening but it's going to be dangerous with these pirates and there's no land that I can see for miles. Just follow my lead and we'll be fine."

Drakath frowns, wanting to argue but he glances at the ship, which was probably filled with pirates hungry for the power with the orb, again and he concedes. He bites his lip and looks away from me.

"Okay. We're almost there now," I let my arms fall to my sides and try putting a little bit of space between us but Drakath was still holding on. "You're going to have to let me go by the way."

"Hmph." he shoves me away lightly, crosses his arms and keeps his eyes on the horizon. He's being super temperamental today.

We were floating down by the pirate's black flag now. The pirates, including Blackberry, were gathering on deck. I just had to hope my plan was going to work or we really are going to get fed to the sharks.

We were halfway down the mast and in about twenty seconds we were going to come face to face with the pirate with the most unfitting name on the eight seas. Make that three seconds. The Wind Orb had just given up on taking us down.

We tumble down towards the deck. Drakath lands on his stomach clumsily but didn't seem to break anything. I, on the other hand, made use of Okuchi no Okami's training and land on my feet, bend my knees and roll up into standing position right in front of Blackberry before bowing for the applauding pirates.

The rocks and Galeocerda corpses had disappeared again.

"Hello everyone. Sorry I'm late," I smile wickedly at the pirates as Drakath groans, trying to get up. The Orb lands conveniently on his lap and the pirates ooh and ah. "But I told you I would get him for you. The orb and the idiot are all yours!" I laugh, turning to Drakath.

"You liar!" He jumps to his feet only to fall back down on one knee, wincing from his aching limbs. He was clutching the Wind Orb close to himself and scans the crowd of pirates closing in on him. "You tricked me!"

"What did you expect, dummy? But you surprised me yet again. I had no idea you were that gullible." I sneer and the wind picks up. If I push his buttons hard enough, the orb will take us to The Shadow of the Wind Village. I hope. I had no idea what had happened before but for sure I can get him angry enough to get us away from here.

"Harharhar, good job. Ruthless as ever, me dear," Blackberry claps a hand on my shoulder. It was a struggle not to jump and push his gross hand away. "I wasn't expecting ye back so soon but ye came with style."

"Here you go, Captain. I brought back the Wind Pearl just as requested. Sorry about the rat that got caught with the precious cargo but he'll be easy to eliminate. Isn't that right?" I call over to Drakath.

"I'll kill you. I'm going to kill you!" Drakath hisses, drawing his sword and keeping the Orb under his other arm. The wind was growing stronger and some of the pirates were almost pushed over.

Just a little more and maybe…

"Captain, allow me to put on a show. He's really asking for it." I draw my own sword and step forward. The pirates clap and jeer at Drakath. I hope this was making him more angry than scared. Drakath's shoulders were shaking again but he didn't take his eyes off of me.

"A showman, are ye?" Blackberry chortles, making an ugly sound in his throat. He stares at the Orb in Drakath's possession hungrily but gives me the go ahead. "Give me crew an' I a good show. Give 'em some room." Blackberry commands his pirates and they gladly comply, backing away and calling for bets on how I'll finish Princey off.

I twirl my blade and approach Drakath. He was having trouble gripping his long sword and holding the orb at the same time.

"Maybe you should put that down. It'd be a shame if I ran you through while you were busy trying to juggle that thing and your blade. That would be too boring so I'll make a promise. I'll take the Orb after I beat you into a bloody stain."

"I-I…" He swallows, looking back down at the orb to think about what he was going to do as he was outmatched and outnumbered.

"It's not like you'll be able to get the orb to do what it did before." I drop him a hint, hoping it would get through his thick skull.

Thankfully, his eyes widen and he straightens his posture, back to his arrogant self.

"That's right," he says, holding up the Wind Orb. "If I can do it again, I'll destroy you! I see now. The Orb knows that I am the rightful king of these lands and it's taken me here so I can finish you in front of your disgusting pirate friends."

The pirates fling curses and insults at him but he doesn't get cowed. He steps towards me, unafraid.

"Now, destroy her and take me from this place!" Drakath orders the Orb. All it does was make a gust of wind blow into me and making my hair flutter in the wind. It feels pleasant really.

Drakath stares at me as I cross my arms and sigh, brushing a stray strand out of my face. It was poking my eye. I must look like a mess.

"I meant attack her," Drakath whispers to the Orb as he shakes it. "Not that. Definitely not that." He looks up again, seemingly embarrassed because of something. Not getting the Orb to work perhaps?

"This is mildly annoying," I tap my foot, feigning impatience as the pirates laugh. "Try again?"

"Give me a moment. Work, stupid orb work!" He shakes the Orb. Another gust of wind pushes me from behind and makes me stumble a few steps forward towards Drakath.

"Need some help there?" I tease.

"No!" He shouts, frustration and desperation apparent. "Come on, work!"

Okay, we aren't getting anywhere. I'm going to have to push his buttons harder.

"Does this happen often?" I give him some fake pity.

"No, it was fine before. I don't know why- stop distracting me!"

"How about this? I'm going to start to beat the shit out of you and maybe it'll do something," I really hope it does. "Maybe it's because you're into that sort of thing. Now, put that down and maybe we'll have a satisfying fight for once."

"Fight! Fight!" The pirates stamp goad us on. One of them whistles.

"Fine!" Drakath drops the Orb on the ground and takes an offensive stance in front of it. I couldn't help but notice that his grip on his sword looks much better than before.

"Well? Come on? Scared?" I taunt, beckoning him to take the first shot.

Drakath charges and once he gets close enough, tries to lop off my head. Though he was faster and stronger than before, it was still easy for me to predict his attack, duck and trip up his legs. He falls flat on his stomach and his sword clangs on to the ground.

The pirates start laughing at his expense and I giggle along, watching him get up and scramble for his sword.

"I feel kinda sorry for you," I mock. "Come on, put up a fight. I'm starting to feel bad."

"Shut up." Drakath pants before he charges at me again. The angrier he got, the sloppier he got which was all the time. It wasn't enough though. That Orb is supposed to take us to the Village when he met up with his greatest enemy, me. Unless…there's someone else?

The notion got me annoyed and as I side step Drakath's slash and throw his cape over his head, I kick him harder than was necessary and he tumbles on the ground again in a heap. I kick him in the stomach as he tries to stand and flip him on to his back for good measure.

What am I thinking? Of course there's no one else.

"Even the ninjas put up more of a fight." I tsk and the pirates cheer. I was stalling, getting Drakath wound up. The wind was really going now; I think my plan was working. I could feel Blackberry's suspicious stare on my back and as I was about to address the pirates on how useless this guy was, Drakath takes that opening and stabs my stomach.

It hits the armor, not even making a scratch but the force of the stab catches me by surprise and pushes me back. He attacks again with another heavy blow. I deflect it but I couldn't find an opening to hit back.

He had stopped with the retorts and nothing but rage was fueling his slashes. Each hit of his sword made my arm quiver. Forgetting myself, I get excited and hit the hilt of his sword with the broad side of my blade. He winces and stalls long enough for me to sock him one across his face.

I could've taken this moment to severely injure him, stabbing either his hand, thigh or fatally wound him with a slash or stab at his neck. Instead, I slash his chest and it cuts through the armor he wore but didn't draw blood. It lets him recover and gives me more time to play.

"We aren't playing." I mutter, reminding myself that this wasn't home and this was really serious. For some reason, the orb wasn't taking us away. He was angry at me; that was for pretty damn sure. I don't understand why it isn't working. I'm playing off his hate like a pro but this is going nowhere and the pirates were going to want blood soon.

And maybe it'll help me if they get it.

I keep my sword up and wait for Drakath to attack again. It doesn't take him long for him to try again and this time I step back slower, letting him knock my sword down and cut my cheek. Blood splatters on the deck and the pirates boo and wince.

I press my palm against the cut and scowl at Drakath, expecting a twisted satisfied smile from him and for the wind to blow us away.

Instead he stands still, stunned and staring at me like I had done something strange.

"What are you doing?" I mouth to him, raising my sword again. The wind had completely died. Fuck, what did I do wrong?

"No!" Someone yells from the crowd. I turn to look at the source of the voice and found Meringue, battered and bandaged up. He was shouting at me to fight back and Drakath noticed.

"Meringue?" I say by accident, not meaning to bring attention to him. Blackberry turns his attention to him and makes a crooked smirk at me.

That was when Drakath strikes at me again with renewed energy. The still air stirs up into a near storm as he does and the pirates begin to become unnerved by the strange weather.

"Where is this coming from?" I laugh elatedly, striking back and bringing us into a deadlock. I shouldn't be enjoying this as much as I am.

I push him back and slash his shoulder. The cut wasn't deep enough to maim him but it was enough to make it hurt. Drakath winces and retaliates by wildly swinging his sword and the metal rings against my thigh. Again, the armor protects me and as he falls on to his back and loses his sword again. Deciding to take a chance, I raise my sword to stab into his chest and freeze just as the tip touches his chest.

Drakath had shut his eyes and held his breath, anticipating cold metal piercing through his skin.

"Why?" I was petrified. Drakath opens his eyes, finding the tip of my sword quivering above him.

No no no, we're done for. I glance at the Orb. It was dim and the wind had died again. He had landed right next to it. Why isn't it protecting him? This is all wrong.

"What are ye waiting for?" Blackberry snorts. "If ye be wanting me permission to finish him off, ye 'ave it."

"Drakath," I choke out quietly. "I messed up. It didn't work." I was having a heart attack on my feet. I have to think of something fast. I have Drakath here under my sword and he was defenseless. If he made any move, I was supposed to stab him. I'm stuck.

All of the pirate's eyes were on me and Meringue was there too. What was I supposed to do?

Drakath had no idea what to do either. All he did was gape up at me, terrified and confused. He looks from the orb to me and then up to the sky and I see him get hit by some sort of realization.

"Uh…Captain. The last time I was about to kill him, the Orb took us away. It just occurred to me, what if it happens again?" I ask, grasping at straws.

"Oh, it won't Josephine," Blackberry laughs. "Did I ever tell ye that Josephine be a good name fer a lass? Not that Ty be a bad name either."

I spin around unintentionally, robbing myself of all ways to deny that it wasn't my name.

I've been outsmarted again.

"It was a good show and ye be smart fer a land lubber," He grins, twisting the scar on his face. "But in the end, I played ye both fer fools."

The Orb glows brightly, slowly rises up into the air and floats towards Blackberry. The pirates draw their weapons, readying their cutlasses and pointing their guns in my direction.

"What are you talking about?" I ask warily, casting an eye over the crowd again. They were all in on Blackberry's plan seemingly. All but Meringue and perhaps the other injured pirates below deck. Two other pirates had grabbed him and another points the tip of his cutlass at Meringue's chin.

Lib chooses this moment to fly down and land on the deck before crawling up my leg to hide under my cape.

"Nice timing." I sigh, watching Blackberry shake his head in amusement.

"No problem." Lib replies. "Did I miss anything?"

"I'm going to strangle you later."

"I have to thank the both of ye fer working together to bring the Wind Orb to me," He steps towards Drakath and I. Keeping my attention trained on Blackberry, I offer a hand down to Drakath. I wasn't really expecting him to take it but he grabs my hand and I help him up on his feet. "Ye both looked confused and frightened as beached fishies so let me explained how I used you both."

"Stay behind me." I whisper to Drakath, hoping he listens.

"Even tho Kordana be old an' her magic be failing, she still be a dangerous enemy. Much too dangerous fer me to tackle on me own even fer the orb. So then I leaked the whereabouts of the orb to Sepulcher. Never in me dreams would I think he'd send a dim bulb like Drakath to retrieve it and actually succeed." I could feel Drakath about to retort but he doesn't and keeps quiet instead, holding his breath.

"Tracking 'im down was easy but the scrolls I found in a chest floating in the sea twenty years ago, that have mysteriously vanished by the way-" He takes a moment to wink at me. "They told me that to activate the orb's power, I had to 'ave the one in possession o' the orb face their greatest foe. Lady luck dropped 'er right in me lap with a hatred of ninjas and an eagerness to track this lad down. Lady luck also gave me a hostage fer leverage on the great hero of Falconreach," Motioning to Meringue who was getting angrier and more frightened by the minute. Seeing that made my stomach turn. "Nice touch wit the attack on Osprey, lass. Distracted that fool Rhubarb fer me. Where I be going, there be no need fer that run down town."

"What do you want with the orb?" I shakily demand.

"Glad ye asked, lass," he motions the pirates to clear a path to the rail. He walks over deliberately slowly with the Orb following after him. He lays a hand on the rail and turns back to us. His ship begins to glow and runes appear etched into the wooden boards of the ship.

"I had the spell from the scrolls woven in to the very boards and planks that make up me Betty. Now that the Orb is here, its magic will make me a god!"

The sea rumbles and the wind swirls around him as his body starts to glow. Lightning flashes from above and a typhoon was about to form.

"It will transform me into a sea monster that hasn't been seen in thousands of generations of sea farers. I will be the ultimate power in the seas. I will become King Braken!" He shouts to the skies, spreading his arms and glowing even brighter. Everyone on board the ship shields their eyes from the intense light, preparing for Blackberry's new form.

"Once the transformation is complete, everyone on this ship will have the honor o' being me first worshippers an' me first meal. Har Har Har!"

That came as a surprise to his crew and suddenly all weapons were pointed at their captain-soon-to-be-asshole-ungrateful-sea-god-dick . I have a way with names.

"I didn't mean to say that out-loud but no matter!" The wind blows violently around Blackberry. "You'll all be tasty morsels!"

"Lib, I know this might be sudden but we might have to go full size for this!" I shout over the wind. Lib grunts his agreement and I touch the warm gem hanging around my neck, waiting for the wind to clear and for the light to die.

"It's working! I can feel it. The power of the seas!" The light fades and Blackberry is revealed, ready to work his new godly powers.

He stands there in all of his glory, completely unchanged.

Everyone stares at him in silence, waiting for something to happen.

Nope. Nothing.

"Hmmm," Blackberry looks down at himself. "That be strange. The scrolls said-" Before he could finish his sentence, two orange tentacles shoot out of one of his nostrils and they smack him across the cheek.

Everyone burst into uncontrollable laughter.

"Pffft. O sea god, would you like me, your humble worshipper, to assist with attending your nose hairs? They seem to want to get as far away from you as possible. Who wouldn't?" I joke, doubling over.

"How dare ye-" A thicker tentacle shoots out of his mouth, effectively shutting him up. As he chokes, gurgles and struggles to pull at the tentacle, everyone else was about to die from their lungs bursting.

"You want us to be your worshippers?" Drakath asks incredulously. "Ha! You look like an accident at a cheap sushi restaurant."

"Where the chef got just a tiny bit too excited," I smile, my eyes meeting with Drakath's. "Oh! Or maybe when pirates such as yourself-" I motion to Blackberry with my sword. "Get  _lonely_ out in the wide open sea," I wink at Blackberry and nudge Drakath playfully."-they get desperate and end up looking like this."

"So that must mean that he's used to it." Drakath adds on and we both laugh, leaning on each other to keep from falling over.

Blackberry was fuming and when the tentacle slides back down his throat from wherever, he shouts "How dare you? I'll smite all o' ye!" Another tentacle shoots out from his pants and everyone lost it. I was laughing so hard that I squeezed out a tear.

"Silence!" Blackberry basically screams. "I don't understand. I did everything in the scrolls. I copied the spells on to me ship, I got the orb-" He looks to the orb just as it flings itself through the deck and down into the hull. "I had the orb and I got Drakath to face his greatest foe…" He looks over to Drakath and me. "It seems that I made a great mistake on me information."

That was when the ship lurches to the side and everything became eerily silent.

Confused, I look down to where Blackberry was staring at us and find an unusual sight.

Drakath had forgotten to let go of my hand.

And then everything fucking exploded.


	28. Worse Than an Injury

_I searched high and low but Blaire was gone. She was long gone. I wish she'd stick by me like she used to but I guess that's my own fault._

_We searched until we could see the Shadow of the Wind Village smoking in the distance. Ah, that sounds like a strange way to word it. Villages can't smoke._

_It was on fire is what I meant to say._

_As we near the shore, Konnan points out the ships that belonged to us and then we see that a small number of pirate ships and a group of tiny boats were floating around, abandoned._

_The other adventurers on the ship were preparing themselves and gearing up for battle. They were all hesitant though. Before, they were all dead set on burning this place into the ground and finding Ty, hopefully in the reverse order. Now, they were hesitant and uneasy._

_From what I could read off of them, none of them were ready to fight anymore._

_"I tried asking around but no one saw your sister anywhere. It's not a big ship so is she hiding? Is there a reason why she would be hiding?" Konnan asked worriedly._

_"There shouldn't be." I thought back to when Blaire first told me that we were going to visit Ty and Alison. She told me that a friend of Ty and Alison got injured by the ninjas and pirates on this island. Ty got kidnapped soon after. Alison was going to take these people and break Ty out while Ty was going to catch them off guard from within._

_Were they lying? I can't tell if they're lying. They wouldn't lie to me, would they?_

_But then these people are obviously recovering from the effects of one of Alison's spells. It seems that the one that she casted on them stripped them of their ability to stop and calmly think about the situation._

_Before, they were focused in on one goal and couldn't see anything else. Whatever Alison was planning, it failed and if I noticed the adventurers on this ship changing, so did Blaire._

" _She's gone. Probably jumped off the ship and ran off somewhere." I mutter glumly. I got left out of the loop again._

" _She jumped off?" Konnan gasps. "Man overboard! Man overboard!" He yells, running off to find the captain. Everyone else scrambles to check over the railing for a kid drowning but all they would find was water._

_Even if Blaire was still near here, they'd still just find water._

" _No no, it's fine! She can uh…she swims really well," Technically that wasn't a lie. "She's long gone by now. She's probably busy with something else."_

" _Hey, look over there!" One of the rogues shout, pointing over to the shore._

_Out on the sand, ninjas, pirates and Falconreach adventurers alike had lured some sort of golem out on to the beach together. The golem was a mishmash of ship parts, coral, rocks, a tacky pirate hat and…is that gold? Oh my god, it's made of gold. It's made of my gold._

" _Eric? Eric! What are you doing on the railing?" Konnan notices me caving into my addiction. "Get off the railing! That's dangerous! Eric, put your shirt back on!"_

" _No! Keep it off!" Someone else shrieks._

" _Wait for me, babe! I'm coming to get ya," I prepare to dive and swim for my life to the gold. Those people on the beach were going to steal all of that gold for themselves. I need to get there first before the gold scatters everywhere._

" _Alison and Ty are going to freak if they find out that I let two of their siblings drown!" Konnan grabs a hold of my legs just as I was pulling down my pants. He made me fall backwards into a tangled heap with him._

" _Dammit!" Several people think and curse out loud. I'd wink but since Konnan got me on my back, I took in the nice view of the sky. A shadow of a bird was flying across the clouds. It was being circled by smaller birds. All of a sudden, the birds stopped in midair. That dot in the sky was getting bigger and bigger._

" _That isn't a bird."_

_Konnan, seeing the same thing, calls for the ship to sail back. As the boat lurches and moves, I sit up and watch the people on the shore flee for safety._

_In about ten seconds, the thing falling out of the sky is going to crush the treasure golem into the sand. I memorize the spot where it stood and turn my head back up to watch the growing shadow._

" _Three…Two…O-_

* * *

Just before we were going to crash into the ground, crushing and killing everyone on board the ship, the wind cushions our fall.

We land softly, accompanied by a light rain of boulders and Galeorcerda corpses, and the radical summersaults my stomach was doing gradually come to a halt.

I open my eyes and glance around. Meringue and the other pirates made it fine. Some were holding on to the mast, others went for the railing and everyone else held onto each other to keep from being whisked away. Now that we were back on solid ground, they were trying to get back to their senses but all of that spinning had completely disoriented them. They were more balanced drunk.

During our trip across Lore's tropical skyline, Blackberry's face freaked the fuck out again. Two tentacles shot out from his ears and their suckers latched on to the deck, keeping him from flying off.

Smoke was rising into the cloudy sky nearby. When I took a peek over the railing inland, I saw the barely recognizable Shadow of the Wind Village. The place was in the process of burning to the ground. The attack on Osprey must have gone successfully and now the others had moved on to the Village.

Yes! The plan was still going ahead. Now I just need to find Okuchi no Okami and carry out my end of the bargain. Finally, I got them back for what they did. They won't recover from this in a long time. Maybe even never.

"Butterbrain," Lib crawls out from under my cape. "You should look up."

"Hmm?" I follow Lib's awed gaze. "Did I hit my head when we shot into the sky or is there really a fat guy floating into the sun?"

What I was seeing was a huge human-like creature with the physique of a sumo wrestler, golden spiked maces for fists and a separate ogre face protruding from its stomach bobbing up and down in the sky. Its arms and legs were limp as it slowly spins upwards into the clouds.

"What the shit is going on?"

"I would like to ask the same thing," A deep growl startles me and I turn my head to find the devil fox standing beside me, gazing up at the flying sumo. "Though with more refined words." He glares accusingly at me.

"That's supposed to be your Honda isn't it?" He keeps glaring and I assume that meant yes. "Are you blaming me for this? I did everything you told me to. We're here aren't we? Your monster's here too. It's your job to control him."

"Where is the Wind Orb?"

"Down below deck. It shot down there just before it sent us sky high." I nod over to the small hole in the deck beside Blackberry. Somehow, he turned even uglier on the way here. His skin had become a nice shade of vomit orange, his eyes were bulging out of their soggy sockets and tentacles were sliding out of every orifice on his face. Thank the gods he still had his pants on. I don't want to know what's going on down there.

"What is that abomination?" The fox hisses and cringes.

"Arrrr," Blackberry rises, pulling the tentacles free as he laughs and gurgles coming towards us. "You must be the dog that stole me scrolls. Not that they be of use anymore. To you or me."

"I am no mere dog, pirate." Okuchi no Okami bares his teeth.

"Harhar, no need to be so hostile at me. Ye should turn that to the landlubber," Blackberry sneers, brandishing his cutlass. Blackberry's swollen fingers were struggling to properly grasp the hilt but I'm quite sure he could still sweep my head off my shoulders with that. "I be guessin' that be yer shot at godhood floatin' away," Blackberry eyes Honda who was slowly becoming a speck of dust in the sky. "If ye want someone ta blame, look in a mirror. If ye want someone to take yer frustrations on, look by yer feet. That be where I be takin' mine."

Curious, Okuchi no Okami turns his attention back to me. His eyes narrow, trying to figure out what Blackberry meant. A realization hits him and he snarls angrily, as if ready to pounce on me and rip me to shreds.

"What are you doing? I told you I did everything! I'm on your side, remember? Do you really want to pick a fight?" I shout angrily, blade at ready.

"Not you," Okuchi no Okami growls, shaking his head. "Coward, you can't hide from me!"

"Huh? Is there someone hiding?" I try to stand but finally notice that someone else had been hiding under my cape and they were still hugging me from behind. "Drakath? You can come out now. We landed. We're fine."

"Really?" He peeks out from under my cape. I don't how I didn't notice him shaking and squeezing the life out of me.

"Twenty years!" Blackberry sputters green goop from his mouth. "Twenty years o' planning, wasted! All because of a spineless wretch and a foul mouthed wench! I'll gut both o' ye!"

"He got even worse." Drakath shudders and goes back to cowering under my cape.

"How could I have not seen something so pitiful as this? To think, it ruined twenty years of planning. But perhaps there may still be a way…" The fox reaches towards Drakath and I slap his paw away with the broad side of my sword.

"Hey, back off!" I point my sword at them; switching back and forth from Okuchi no Okami and Blackberry. Lib scurries in front of me and breathes a warning breath of flame at them, raising his wings threateningly. Then Blackberry's head swells up like a balloon and he falls over on his side, cursing as he struggles to get back up.

"Look, I don't know what went wrong for either of you. Think rationally please. Picking a fight with me or Drakath isn't going to bring back twenty years. The Orb is below deck. Figure something out. Also, Drakath please let go of me. I can't look menacing with you clinging on to me like this. Just hang back for a bit while I handle things. Don't worry; you'll be safe." I try to convince Drakath to go hide.

A hard elbow to the ribs sends me sprawling on the wet deck into Lib and we slide across the wood.

"Ha, like I need a weak peasant to protect me," Drakath boasts as he stands, brushing off imaginary dirt from himself. "Tch, there's peasant filth all over me."

"Geez, you're welcome, asshole," Before I could push myself up, two large paws grab me by the shoulders and pick me up into the air. "What the? Put me down!" I cry as Lib flies up, ready to give the fox a face full of fire. Okuchi no Okami raises a paw to stop him.

"The Orb is below deck, correct? Go fetch it," Okuchi no Okami orders me, staring intently at Drakath. "I filled my end of the bargain and your goal has been met. Time to keep up your end. And I do not think you would like to be present once they arrive."

"Who?"

Right as the question left my mouth, a grappling claw is thrown over the railing. Shit, maybe it would be a better idea to go get the Orb now.

The fox places me back on the ground and smiles "I'm sure I can get the Orb to work somehow. Perhaps I can find what went wrong by taking a closer look at the Princeling. Shall I start from the inside out?"

"Do whatever comes easier." I wink before heading over to the half open hatch to the lower deck with Lib in tow, sticking his tongue out at Drakath on the way.

"Wait! Are you just going to leave me here?" Drakath stammers, fumbling for his sword. Realizing that he had lost his sword while we were flying through the sky, he begins to panic.

"You just said you didn't need me to protect you. Besides, you wouldn't want to get any more peasant filth dirtying you, right?" I smirk before kicking open the hatch and jumping down with Lib.

Not a second later, a voice booms angrily "Okuchi no Okami! What have you done?"

That must be Thyton. I could hear more bumps coming from the deck and that was probably the other ninjas getting on board.

"The answer is flying in the sky," The fox replies, faking smugness as I navigate through the darkness. The injured pirates groan in their sleep, having escaped further injury thanks to the soft landing the Orb gave us. There was no sign of the Orb among them. Strange, it had glowed so brightly before. "Soon, I will have control of Honda and I will crush the entire village and its puny ninjas."

"It seems you were right in your thinking to have us join with the pirates for just this one time, Tomoe." Thyton says, grabbing my attention.

"That's…that's impossible! The pirates and the ninjas are working together? No. Alison took care of them…unless," I consider the idea that Alison somehow lost and it made my heart stop. "Tomoe's up there too. Did he have something to do with this?"

"This is your fault, you know." Lib scolds me quietly.

"I know. I know. Shush right now. Help me find the Orb." I watch the ceiling cautiously and make my steps softer. If they find out that I'm here, I'm going to have to make one hell of a lie.

"Yes, without the help of the pirates, our village and our people would have been eliminated by the forces of Okuchi no Okami and the hypnotized guardians and adventurers of Falconreach," Tomoe chimes. How did they know that Alison used her magic on them? Oh no, what happened at Osprey? "For that, on behalf of the ninjas, I'd like to thank our friend Rhubarb. Though the witch responsible for this is nowhere to be seen. We'll track her down eventually. No one escapes the Shadow of the Wind ninjas."

"Though it may not be the right time, I would like to extend my apologies as well." That voice. It's Eli! He snapped out of Alison's spell?

"Yer right. It not be the right time," A rugged voice growls. Rhubarb's here too? "I see that Blackberry be responsible for both of our town's destruction. Now be the time to cut both o' em down to feed 'em to the guppies." The crowd that had gathered on the deck voices their approval.

Hearing that, I rush to find any sign of the Orb. I check under the hole the Orb had created when it busted through the deck to get into here but I found nothing but sleeping pirates. How could they sleep through all of this?

"Drakath!" At the mention of his name, a small light begins to flicker weakly in the back corner of the ship. "I see that you've thrown in your lot with these villains." Eli accuses and the Orb nearly fizzles out.

"D-don't lump me in with these weaklings," Drakath counters as I stumble over the prone bodies to get to the Orb. "Once I get the Orb, I'll make you all regret ever crossing me. The Orb will give me my rightful power. It knows that I'm the rightful ruler! With its power, I will regain my throne!" He sounds desperate; terrified even.

"Hmph. Drakath, you have no idea do you?" The fox sneers. "You are a fool. It's a wonder how you've managed to survive up till now. A weakling like you will never be King." My fingers had touched the Orb right when Okuchi no Okami had finished speaking. The Orb went dark. The air around us goes utterly still and I could feel the Orb emanating cold air.

Lib growls uncomfortably and I get an uneasy threatened feeling growing in the pit of my stomach. I was feeling almost distraught; ready to give up.

That's not right. It's not me.

"Is Drakath okay up there?" I wonder out loud to myself. The Orb was responding to Drakath's mood. Obviously, he's not doing too well.

"What does it matter?" Lib replies, irritated.

"S-sepulcher will hear of this!" Drakath stammers hesitantly.

"Coward, are you still hiding behind another? You are not worthy of the Orb's power or the strange respect the one below gives you," The fox laughs and then the air under the deck went stale. "But in respects to the one below, I will give you a chance to die with honor." What is he talking about?

"But in any case, he's unarmed. I should get up there before it gets worse." I head for the ladder with the Wind Orb.

"Aw, why can't we just let him freak out some more?" Lib groans. "In fact, why not just let him get what he deserves? A good beheading maybe? Eli'll catch him and we can watch. Aunt Alison can make us snacks."

"Not so fast, fox," Eli interrupts, stopping me in my tracks. Crap, if I go up there now, I'll be found out. But Princey is probably pissing his pants up there and someone has to pull him out of that mess. "Drakath is coming with us. You'll answer to your crimes in the court of King Alteon and judging by the weight of your crimes, there is no guarantee of an honorable death."

Damn, I didn't know Eli could be that scary. Lib's wish might come true if I don't do something.

"N-no…" I could hear the fear in Drakath's voice. I was enjoying listening to him squirm but then I realize that we were both in the same situation. We're surrounded with no way out.

I like the fox and all but I do acknowledge his craftiness. How fast will he throw to the sharks, I wonder? Should I throw him to the sharks first?

How am I going to get out of this?

"Yo? What's going on over here? Are you going to move this ship any time soon?" A new voice asks.

"Eric, come back down!" It sounds like Konnan and my brother.

"Blaire and Eric are here early! Yes!" I do a mini fist pump. So this situation is salvageable.

"Big crowd here," Eric comments. "Ty isn't with you?"

"Who are you?" Eli asks. "Are you another one of Ty's-"

"Oh, me?" Eric interrupts him. "She hasn't talked to you about me? Well…I'm her boyfriend," He jokes around and at that moment, the Orb flares up and lights the entire room. "I wonder why she hasn't mentioned me. I'm her favorite after all."

"What did you say?" Drakath asks. Suddenly, he didn't seem so scared.

"I know you. You're that guy with that big bounty on your head and a funny name. What was your name now? Oh right, you must be-"

"What did you say?" Drakath repeats himself, using a voice that could strangle puppies all by itself.

"Oh, I see. You know Ty? So it seems we have the same tastes," I wasn't sure if he means that he and Drakath had the same tastes or if he means that he and I had the same tastes. "Right, you wanted me to repeat my intro. I'm Eric, Ty's boyfriend," he jokes around again. "Whoops, I forgot I didn't give you my name before."

The Orb grew painfully bright. I had to avert my eyes. I could barely hold the thing.

"Is he really your boyfriend?" Lib demands, flapping his wings wildly. "What about dad?"

"Eric's just playing. He is also technically a boy who is also my friend like how Ash is. That isn't lying, I don't think. He's your uncle and he's teasing Drakath. I don't know why it's bothering him though. How does Eric know Drakath in the first place?" I frown, trying to use my cape to cover the Orb. "Lib, help me out here."

"Almost forgot to mention that I'm her favorite again." I hear Eric hop on to the deck, approaching Drakath.

"Wait, stop!" Blackberry splutters loudly. "Ye not be wanting to do that!"

"What does that make you?" Eric asks Drakath, ignoring Blackberry's warning.

Before I knew it, the Orb blasts up through the deck with me still attached. Wood splinters spray on to the people nearby and the force of our entry either throws them against or over the railing of the ship.

"Ouch!" I land on my back with the Orb still in my arms. Lib flies up and lands beside me, tugging on my cape to rouse me. "Whoa, that came out of nowhere," I rub my head and look up to find that I had landed right in front of Drakath. Somehow he had avoided the projectile wood and now he was glaring daggers at me. "What's with the scary face?" I sit up. "Are angry at me because of before? I was just joking around with you. If you needed help, I'd-"

"Wow, nice entrance. You got some lovely flair going on but more work could be done on the gracefulness of the landing." Eric steps forward, having dodged the debris, ready to offer a hand to help me get up.

"You…" Drakath growls, turning his glare to my brother.

"No no no no no!" Both Blackberry and Okuchi no Okami try to get Eric to stop but then the Wind Orb flashes intensely.

A great gust of wind rips the deck from the rest of the ship and we go flying again towards the sea in a violent storm.

It pinned me back down on the deck and since there was nothing to hold on to anymore, most people were flung into the water.

When we finally crash into the churning waves, I gingerly push myself up with the Orb still in hand to find that no one else was still on board but Lib.

"Butterbrain, don't freak out!" Lib bites my shoulder to keep me steady.

"Shit!" I try to keep balance on the wooden planks. Our fall wasn't as soft as it was before. The planks had been cracked by the impact of the deck slapping on to the water. It was hard trying not to fall over with a sword in my hand and the Wind Orb under crook of my arm.

Land was way too far away. Other people were already swimming towards the beach but there's no way I'm going in the water. Absolutely not!

Crawling towards the center of the floating deck might be a good idea. There'll be less of a chance of me falling in if I'm there waiting for help

I edge across the slippery deck but the moment I put some weight on my arm, it breaks through the wood and I fall on my face.

"Lib! Help pull me up!" I cry, beginning to lose my nerves. Lib bites on my cape and starts pulling me up but then something slippery brushes against my fingers. For a moment, I thought it was seaweed wrapping its leafy tendrils around my fingers but then I feel the disk sized suction cups.

The scream I make when it grips my hand and tugs was loud enough to shatter stones.

The side of my face hits the wet wooden planks again and I thrash around, trying to rip my arm out from the hole. The thing grasping my hand was slimy and its suction cups were latching on to my glove. I dig my fingers into its flesh hard enough to break through skin and through the wooden boards I heard an inhuman roar as it slips away.

I pull my arm out of the hole, finding that the thing had taken my glove.

"What the fuck was that?" I half sob, staring at my marked and bleeding hand. I was too afraid to move, lest I fall through the deck, and the waves pushing us around was making me dizzy enough to hurl. I didn't want to look up again either. Just seeing how lost I was in the sea was going to be enough to knock me out or make me weep.

"What are you doing?" Lib yanks on my cape when I curl up into a ball and squeeze my eyes shut.

"I can't do this, okay? Don't make me move. I can't do it!" I stutter through chattering teeth. I hold the Wind Orb against my chest and grip my sword until my palm starts to bleed.

"Butterbrain, stop it! We can't just sit around! Move!" Lib yells, butting my shoulder with his head. "That thing might come back! We have to move!"

As if it had been summoned by Lib's words, whatever was swimming below the deck throws itself against the bottom, making me jump.

"No no no! I can't. Not in the water." I scramble wildly for the center of the deck, falling over myself as I did. I was just about to reach the middle when, out of the corner of my eye, a head pops out of the water's surface.

Drakath splashes around, searching around the water like he knew there was something down there with him. Without warning, his head slips back under water. Whatever was in the water was trying to pull him down.

"Butterbrain, no!"

Without thinking, I rush over to the edge of the deck, lean over the water and plunge my arm into the darkness to grab a fistful of purple cloth.

Two rough hands grab back and I pull Drakath up until he breaks the surface and was lying on his stomach on the deck. His legs were still dangling in the water and he shoves me aside to get them out.

That made me drop the Wind Orb and I fall on my side as it rolls across the deck.

A while back, when I was getting my hair cut by Patch, I remember him telling me that my new short hair might save my life. If he was going to say that, he should have cut my hair shorter.

I didn't catch myself and my head ended up slamming on the wood when I fell. Orange tentacles curl around my strands of hair and wrench me into the water.

My scream gets muffled by the salty water and I kick and wave my sword around trying to break free. I couldn't see anything. My sight was obscured by my own hair, the orange tentacles and the darkness of the water.

I'm going to die! They're pulling me down again!

Before I completely slip into the water, hands grab on to my ankles and pull me back. I was stuck in the middle of a tug of war. Jerking back and forth, I manage to get one of the tentacles in my mouth and I bite down. I hear a shriek echo through the water and I get wrenched free with a twitching tentacle clenched between my teeth.

Blinking the salty water out of my eyes, I spit the piece of tentacle out and find Lib and Drakath wheezing and panting, still holding on to my ankles. Behind them near the middle of the floating deck sat the Wind Orb, lying there forgotten for the time being.

"Um…thanks?" I say uncertainly. Did he really help me out? Did I really help him out? "But why?"

Drakath was just as confused as I was. He gapes at his hand on my ankle like it was some sort of anomaly before he looks up. We stare at each other for a moment on the rocking deck, unsure of what to do next.

"Both of you are extreme idiots." Lib sighs exasperatedly before flying off towards the Wind Orb.

Remembering that he had to get the Wind Orb or else the stuck up corpse was going to punish him, Drakath grimaces and gets ready to rush after Lib.

"Not if I get there first!" I jump ahead, forgetting my crippling fear of the ocean entirely to get ahead of Drakath.

Then I remember it again when I almost slip up, finding that a sickly pale and swollen orange tinted sorry excuse for a hand had taken a hold of my ankle. Another set of wet fingers had Drakath's wrist in its clutches.

It was due to a sick sense of curiosity that keeps us from fleeing, watching as a drenched head of greasy black hair emerges from the rising bubbles. Where a face should have been was a bundle of tentacles that slide forward, feeling around for the deck.

From what I could see, the tentacles had burst out from what used to be Blackberry's face. The tentacle face was awful enough but Drakath and I also saw the remnants of Blackberry's face clinging on to the tentacles. What was obviously his upper lip was dangling on one of the tentacles along with pieces of his beard and skin.

Without any warning the tentacles abruptly peel back, revealing spiked suction cups, sagging and peeling human skin mixed in with porous orange octopus skin, a cruel black razor sharp beak and the eyes. The eyes are the worst.

The eyes had blown up to twice the size they used to be. They were practically jumping out of their sockets, the pupils were dilated to the size of dinner plates and I could see nothing but hatred, murder and revenge in them.

I was so terrified and disgusted that if Drakath didn't start screaming his lungs out, I would have just stood there until it pulled the two of us into the water and strangled us to death.

Instead, the scream reminds me that I have a sword, that freak was touching us and I would have none of that.

I slash down on the hand that had been holding on to Drakath, severing it at the wrist. Blackberry shrieks again, retreating back down into the water and Drakath shakes off the limp dead hand into the sea. It didn't bleed.

I stagger back, teetering on the edge of fainting. I feel nauseous and my heart's beating so fast, I think I might get a heart attack.

I could hardly see the bubbles rising from the surface of the water. Blackberry's transformation wasn't going the way it was supposed to but it was still happening albeit very slowly and painfully. He was swimming very well in the water despite that and he was going to attack again.

"Get back." I pant between haggard breaths, fighting to stay conscious. Lib was probably sitting on the Orb right now so if Blackberry gets past me, Lib could fly away with the Orb. That just left Drakath. "You heard me. Run! Forget the Orb right now. Just get away! Get as far away as you can! Swim to the shore." I glare at Drakath.

"What? But why?" His expression sours. "You just want to get rid of me so you can steal the Orb, don't you?"

"Now is not the fucking time to argue!" I turn my sword to him and almost tip over into the water as I did. "You'll get in the way! Just go! Go back to the beach."

"Hold on-"

"GO!"

Hesitating for only a second, he swallows and rushes away as I turn back to the bubbling water.

Blackberry wants to kill Drakath and I and take the Orb. Even though I can't fight well as I am now, keeping Blackberry's targets separate is the best idea I can think of at this point. Besides, in spite of my mental breakdown, I can still fight way better than Drakath.

"Come and get me!" I yell at the water, readying my sword. Blackberry was going to jump out of the water and tackle me, I know it. I hold my sword at ready, waiting for the moment he launches at me.

Blocking out the obscenely loud sound of the waves, I stand still and hope that Blackberry doesn't figure out my hastily made plan that included me waving my sword around uncontrollably, hoping that he accidentally runs into my blade.

I watch for a shadow, a flash of orange, any sign of Blackberry in the churning water. The waves are making me woozy and every few moments, my eyes unfocus and I stagger back and forth.

And then the hallucinations start. I picture ghostly hands slowly creeping up from the water and smooth silky voices urging me to fall. Quickly, I rub my eyes to get rid of the image. Another one pops up in its place. A maw of a creature from the depths gradually opens its jaws, stretching and stretching its mouth until I could see nothing but a pit of teeth and blood.

I couldn't stand it anymore. I scream and slash and jab my sword uncontrollably at the air.

By some crazy stroke of luck, Blackberry chooses that moment to jump out of the water at me. Just as I had impulsively planned, I stab him by accident. He jumps on my sword, impaling himself through the heart.

"D-did I do it? I got him?" I stammer.

Blackberry's inflated eyes stare at the sword stuck in his chest. He falteringly brings the nub that used to be his hand up to touch my blade. His beak opens and a hiss of air leaks from his head. It sounds disturbingly like a laugh.

"Lanluwber," He hisses, tentacles bursting out from the nub. "Won't hurt me anymore. Ssseems like I don't be needin' me heart either. Not that I ever had one."

My senses go wild and I tear my sword out of his chest. The blade comes out clean.

"Get away from me!" I yelp, slashing at his face. The tentacles growing from his head grab my sword and he tears it out of my grip. He inspects the sword for a moment as if to admire the craftsmanship before he callously tosses it into the sea.

"Wha?" I step back, watching my sword sink. "A-are you kidding me? N-n-n-no. G-go away!" I stammer, turning up my palms defensively as he backs me into a corner.

"Feelin' seasick, lasssssss? Yer greener than me guts at the moment," A strange discolored lump falls out of his red captain's coat and he disregards it, kicking it away. He jumps at me to spook me. I squeal in fright, making him laugh. "Not so brave now eh, hero?" He jeers, his tentacles curling and uncurling at every chortle.

My vision was freaking out on me. I was blacking out and seeing pulsating bright colors at the same time. Desperate, I reach for my belt to find anything that could help me. To my shock, I find that my bag had fallen off of my belt. Swearing, I brandish one of my throwing knives and attempt to make myself appear threatening.

"Cute," Blackberry pulls off a grin with his octopus beak. "Let's see how well you swim, lass…er wait. That's right. The water breathing potions are still working their magic," In a swift motion, the tentacles on his face shoot forward past my knife and wrap around my neck. He picks me off of my feet and starts to crush my neck. "I guess we'll have to settle on good ol strangulation."

I grab try to grab at the tentacles to rip myself free but more tentacles burst out of his torso and latch on to my arms, preventing me from moving. I kick him in the chest, choking in pain at the effort but he doesn't even flinch.

With the way he was squeezing my neck, Blackberry was going to snap my head off before I could die from asphyxiation.

"G….kkkkkk…" I was blacking out and my eyes were rolling back in my head. I couldn't find the energy to fight anymore. The water was fading away and I could see was the excitement in Blackberry's hideous murky eyes.

"Let go!" I feel myself wobble to the side as something rams itself into Blackberry. Lib?

"So this be the dragon that the rumors say you have as a pet. Looks like a caught ya," Blackberry laughs. "An adventurer an' a baby dragon. What a tale that coulda been."

"Eat this!" I vaguely feel heat near my face and it must have been Lib breathing fire on Blackberry.

Blackberry shrugs off Lib's attacks. "How about a nice long nap fer the little one, eh?" I hear Lib's strangled cries it fills me with enough fury to regain consciousness.

I still could only just make out Blackberry laughing as Lib and I were going blue.

There's only one way out of this that I can think of. I don't want to do it. I never ever want to do it but this is one of the times that I must.

Blackberry made a mistake when he tore off my glove.

I curl my wrist, trying to touch Blackberry's tentacles with my fingers. All I need is a single touch and since he isn't undead, it'll summon the voice.

Eric is here. Blaire too. They can take me down so I'll endure it. I can endure.

"Still 'ave the will to live I see," Blackberry chuckles. "Good fer you. I be enjoying every second o' squeezing the wretched life out o' ye," With greater urgency, I reach for his skin. I'm willing to break my own wrist to do so. "An' after I be done with ye, I'll take me revenge on the other fool and take the Orb-"

The Orb smashes into his head mid-speech and he drops Lib and I. I cough and grab at my throat, gulping down air into my burning lungs. Woozily, I sit up to see Drakath standing motionless, stunned at what he just did. Blackberry was holding the Wind Orb above me, taken aback by how much of a dumb shit Drakath was.

"Did-" I inhale harshly. "Did you just throw the Wind Orb at him?"

"…No." Drakath shakes his head slowly, moving his hands behind his back.

Not wanting to waste any more time asking Drakath why the fuck did he do that, I jump up while Blackberry was still distracted by the sheer idiocy and lack of logic of Drakath's act. I tackle Blackberry to the ground and repeatedly stab him with my throwing knife in his muddy eyes. The Orb escapes from his possession and rolls towards Drakath. His screeches of pain boom across the water as I continue to maul him. I tear jagged lines across his skin, near ripping off his new face. I couldn't get a good hold on him with just one arm free to stab him.

In seconds, he throws me off into Drakath as he was picking up the Wind Orb. We spill on to the deck as Blackberry screams and scratches at his torn up face. His eyes were ripped apart and dripping down his orange cheeks. That should buy us some time.

"What's the plan now, Butterbrain?" Lib coughs, landing beside me and Drakath.

"Well, now that he's been blinded-"

"I'll keelhaul you with me bare hands!" Blackberry spits, wiping his face and comes straight towards us. Even without eyes, he could tell exactly where we are.

"Shit!" I pound the ground with my fist in frustration. "Why isn't anything working?"

"Yeah, I'm not sticking around here any longer. Have fun with Squidward, sucker!" Drakath takes the Orb and hurries to the edge of the deck.

"I heard ye!" Blackberry moves with inhuman speed to intercept Drakath, using his elongated tentacles to launch himself forward.

"He's going to catch him and the Orb!" Lib cries but chokes on his breath, still hurt from before. "Can't we just use my titan form? We could just squash him."

"Right. Why didn't I think of that? That's going to solve all of our problems!" I touch the dragon amulet around my neck. "Okay, titan form…How does it work?" I start sweating, jiggling the amulet frantically. "Fuck. I don't know how to work this!"

"Are you kidding? We did it before. How come we can't do it now?" Lib watches Blackberry about to catch up to Drakath.

I didn't have an answer and Blackberry was going to catch up so I move.

That week waiting for the war to start with Okuchi no Okami didn't go to waste. A week isn't long enough to master all the ninja techniques but it's enough to roughly learn how to leap like one.

I jump across the deck to grab Drakath, throwing my knives at Blackberry to distract him. He catches and deflects them faster than I expected and I catch Drakath and spring away just before he put his slimy tendrils on Drakath too.

I land on the side of my foot by mistake and I hear my ankle crack. White hot pain shoots through my leg as I collapse and drop Drakath by the edge of the deck.

"That sure lasted long." I joke through the pain.

"What was that for?" Drakath shoves me on to my back indignantly, holding the Orb close to him.

"Back off!" Lib splashes him with a glob of water, scales shining turquoise. Drakath and Lib were about to squabble again but my mumbling stops them.

"Can't go in the water anymore," I grimace, putting pressure on my ankle. "He swims we-well. K-knows that I can't swim. Goes after you first. Won't make it…" I choke out fragmented sentences. "Trapped."

"Then what are we supposed to do?" Drakath demands, shaking me. I whimper. Pain, nausea and anxiety combining to break me down. "Hey. What's wrong with you? Do something!" He shakes me harder.

"Get a potion." Lib noses my belt. "Where's your bag?"

"Gone. Fell in the water." I start to hyperventilate, panic intensifying.

"Oi, lass! Ye dropped somethin'" Blackberry laughs and I peek through half closed eyelids to see him slither over on morphing legs. In his tentacle hand was my pistol. "Nice an' dry too thanks to yer nice belt. I'll take that as a trophy along with the rest o' yer corpses."

"Lib, fly away and find someone quick. I'll distract him somehow." I grab Drakath's cape to pull myself up, making an effort to ignore my ankle.

"No! He's going to kill you!" Lib hops in front of me and Drakath, crouching down ready to fight Blackberry off.

"S-shit!" Drakath stutters and shivers, watching Blackberry take aim on him then me and then at Lib.

"Decisions decisions." Blackberry deliberately takes his time, relishing in our despair.

I can't fight with a broken ankle even if that voice takes over. Drakath can't fight and Lib won't last long. This is it? After all of the crap I went through?

"All I wanted was to kill everyone for my friend. Was that too much to ask?" I sniff, still clinging on to Drakath's cape.

Blackberry smiles then; his sockets were already growing new raisin sized eyeballs. I pull Drakath under myself and throw the both of us on top of Lib.

Blackberry pulls the trigger.

BANG

The crashing of the waves and the rushing of the wind cease. All goes still.

"…Ye didn't load yer pistol, did ye?" I hear Blackberry choke and hack. "Ye should always keep yer pistol loaded. Rule number…"

Blackberry falls forward, just shy of touching my outstretched hand. Strange and sticky liquid pools below his head. There was a tiny hold in the back of his slimy head.

"Who?" I turn my head up.

A blade slashes downwards on Blackberry's head. The cutlass lops his head off and a brown boot kicks it into the water before doing the same to the body. Blackberry sinks like a rock, hardly making a ripple.

"Guess…I be captain now." Rhubarb pants. "Made it…just in time…Blackberry be the type lovin' to boast. Lucky me." Rhubarb falls backwards, exhausted and out cold from a nightmarish day.

"Rhubarb?" I crawl over to his side, leaving Drakath and Lib to recover from their shock. For a long while, I sit by Rhubarb's side unmoving. I concentrate on watching him to get my mind off of the ocean.

Rhubarb's chest was rising and falling steadily. He must have been flung far away when the Orb worked its magic. Rhubarb's bandages were soaked through and new wounds were bleeding freely on to the deck and mixing with the salt water. He was okay for now but I have to get everyone back to land soon.

Since I was lacking a boat, Lib's titan powers and an efficient way to move this hunk of wood, however, we're still very stuck.

"Ty! Ty! Look!" Lib shouts.

"Who are you supposed to be?" Drakath groans, still dizzy from the previous ordeal.

"Yumiko's brother," A voice chimes, making me turn. "But Yumiko's not here right now so just call me Tomoe."

"Jig's up, huh?" I sigh, trying to make my shoulders stop shaking.

Tomoe had crept up behind us while we were distracted and recovering. He smiles pleasantly at us, arms crossed. He fingers the hilt of the sword attached to his sash.

A small boat was floating nearby and more were approaching in the distance. They weren't going to come fast enough.

"My oh my, how in over your head you are, Ty."

And when I think it couldn't get any worse; I realize that my time had just about ran out.

_..n…You…Hea…e? Can you hear me, dear? Can you hear me, love?_

_Yes you can._

_Soon._

_Soon, we shall be one again._


	29. The Better Kind of Crazy

" _Ty?" A faceless body spoke to me as we both sat on the torn sandy beach facing the empty sea._

_It was midnight right on the dot and the moon shined bright up in the starry sky. It was the middle of the night and yet there were no shadows._

" _Ty," The faceless person sitting with me whispered gently. "Are you going to be fine?"_

_I shook my head._

" _Did I do this to them?" I dared to peek behind me and instantly regretted it._

_Littered across the ruined coast were limp and tangled blank body shaped blobs among flopping and dying fish. A few twitched; the nubs that used to be their arms and legs moved sporadically. It was as if the entire beach had been doused in bleach. The colours and shapes had been erased and polished down to unrecognizable pieces of clay._

" **Purified. They were purified."**

_This was the result of my scare in the sea ten years ago._

_Roughly, two hands pulled me into an embrace but that didn't do any good. I was hyperventilating and clutching my throat as it spoke. Its lulling words caressed the edges of my mind._

" **What's wrong, dear? The monster that tried to eat you disappeared and we destroyed all the others."**

" _I just wanted to make that monster go away," I hiccupped. "Turn the rest of it back!"_

" _Ty! Listen to me!" The kinder voice of the one who held me momentarily silenced the creature who had awoken in my body. "Do not listen to it. Do not speak of it and do not think of it. Any mention of it gives it strength. Do not listen to The Whisper."_

" **Dear, what we did was good. Crimes must be punished. Crimes must be punished. If we don't, who will?"**

" _They didn't do anything bad." I whispered to it, feeling myself fade again._

" **They didn't do anything. They did absolutely nothing. This was righteous."**

" _Where are you?" I screamed, clapping my hands over my ears. "Get out! Get out of me!"_

" **But then, who will keep you safe, love? But who am I? I have no name. It was taken. Retrieve my name."**

" _Ty, please forgive me." The loving arms wrapped around me squeezed, pushing my nose and mouth into their chest._

_I didn't fight it and gave into the protection of the darkness._

" **Your name too, my dearest. What was your name, love? They took it away with mine. Ours."**

… **.**

That had been the first time I had heard the voice.

Ten years ago when I had been playing in the ocean, I felt something brush against my foot. I laughed and searched the dark salty waters for my father.

It brushed my foot again and this time I dived through the murky depths to catch my trickster father. I kicked myself downwards and searched through the shadows with my outstretched hands.

The touch of wet and tattered seaweed pressed against my fingers. I thought nothing of it and grabbed the tendrils to pull them away.

They pulled back.

Alarmed, I tried to wrench my hand away from whatever it was that was trying to drown me but my fingers were firmly entangled. I attempted to pry the tendrils off but that only got my other hand trapped.

Eyes and lungs burning, I panicked and screamed into the sea, letting water flood into my throat. Behind my eyelids, bright and dizzying colours flashed and blinked and as I suffocated, I begged for help.

I begged for anything to get me out, for anyone to save me.

The voice answered, waking for the first time.

I don't remember what its first words were and I never remember what happens when it takes over.

From what my siblings told me, I burst out of the sea in a pillar of light and obliterated the beach. My siblings had to back off until whatever had taken ahold of me faded back.

That point on, the voice resurfaced sporadically and though it told me that I was its dearest, it made me do terrible things.

I kept it at bay by ignoring its existence and wearing my enchanted gloves.

But every now and then, just like when the Bassault attacked Falconreach, I took advantage of its love and prayed for the best.

_That makes us the same._

"Ty? You awake there?" Tomoe's voice breaks me out of my daze. "It looked like you were falling asleep." He smiled at me like a concerned friend would.

"Butterbrain! Pay attention." Lib scolds me, baring his teeth at the approaching ninja.

"I know, I know," I say, gently taking Rhubarb's cutlass out of his lax hand. "Cut to the chase, Tomoe. What do you want?"

"Hmm? I was expecting you to look at me like I grew a second head," Tomoe blinks at the three of us, pointing to himself innocently. "Ah well. Doesn't matter. My work's almost done." Tomoe shook his head and drew his weapon.

Snarling, Lib prepared to charge him.

"Stop!" I yell, rubbing my noggin with my knuckles. The aches were getting worse.

_What do we have here? This is the sea? What have you gotten yourself into dear? Just what is that horrid beast slobbering all over the deck? One of yours? And that young man in the ninja garb? And the one behind you, is that boy another victim?_

"Shut up for a moment, "I whisper to it. "Lib, back off. He's mine," I stand, wincing at the shooting pain that shot through my injured ankle. "If you aren't going to explain why you put me through all of this bullshit then I'll have your answer after I feed your limbs to the sharks. The ones that I didn't already kill."

"Butterbrain? What are you doing?" Lib demands, nudging my leg with his head. "Doesn't your leg hurt? You can't fight like this!"

"I'm fine, Lib. Just go."

_What an annoying pest. Let me get rid of the vermin for you._

"Lib, I'm not kidding. Go!"

"Stupid Butterbrain! Stop being dumb!" Lib pushes harder.

"Now now, both of you calm down. I'm not here to hurt you. I just want to have a nice chat," Tomoe assures us with his blade still raised. He motions to the cowering idiot behind me. "As our dear and departing captain is incapacitated at the moment, he won't be a problem. The bandit on the other hand," Tomoe breaks his usual cheery demeanor and regards Drakath with distaste. "Well, someone has to pay for the chaos."

Tomoe looks up and I follow his gaze.

Honda was still bobbing up and down through the clouds. Its huge figure cast a shadow over the island but other than that, it wasn't doing much besides keeping people from tanning.

"The Orb," Tomoe holds his free hand out. "If you give it up now, I won't have to use violence."

"No! This is mine!" Drakath protested, holding the Orb against his chest. "It knows that I'm the rightful King. It's just…It might be broken or something." He tries pounding on it a couple of times but nothing happens.

Well, Drakath embarrassed himself but he does that every other second.

"Come now, be reasonable. You're surrounded by enemies and seeing as there is no sign of rescue. It is in your best interest to come and accept death willingly, "Tomoe smirks, watching as Drakath shrunk back behind me. "I've heard lots about you and how much Swordhaven is willing to pay for putting your head on the chopping block. Giving you to them for free will fix what Hideyoshi did to one of their knights."

"Now if you would kindly step aside." Tomoe beams at me, eager to please.

I looked over my shoulder at Drakath. He was still on his knees and though he was glaring at Tomoe, as if to dare him to try to take him down, the quiver in his shoulders was clearly visible to me and Tomoe. If his teeth weren't clenched, they would have been chattering together.

As I turned back, a wave of nausea washed over me and I almost fell over.

_Wretched rat. Let us stand aside and let the ninja do our work for us._

"You'll have to get through me first." I shook my head and readied the cutlass.

"What?" Lib and Drakath say in unison and Tomoe's composure did not falter.

"So it'll be like that? Did he grow on you?" Tomoe chuckled.

It wasn't entirely untrue. Even though I was dying on my feet, Tomoe bullying Drakath like that just didn't sit well with me. He's my punching bag after all and like fuck if I'm going to listen to that annoying voice says or let Tomoe do what he wants.

_Always so stubborn. Even in the end._

"Right now, I like him a lot more than you. Drakath, you aren't going to give up that Orb easily, are you?"

"Never! I'll have you gutted and hung with your own entrails before that happens. Besides, Sepulcher's going to kill me if I don't…" Drakath muttered the last part only loud enough for Lib and I to hear.

_Do I hear a hint of pleading in that shameful voice? Will you really do this rat's bidding?_

"I'm doing what I want." I scowl at the voice, squeezing the hilt of the cutlass.

"I see," Tomoe sighs, frowning with faked disappointment. "I didn't want to have to hurt you but if we're going to wrap our performance up without any loose ends-" Tomoe was in beside me in less than an instant. "-The villains of the story have to take their fall!"

"Ah!" Drakath screams and I spin around just in time to block Tomoe's blade. I stopped it just as it was going to stab through Drakath's skull, deflecting if off the broad side of the cutlass.

I strain to keep the sword in my hand as the point of Tomoe's sword cracks the metal of the cutlass.

"Back off!" I throw a punch at the ninja and he ducks, giving me a quick glimpse of smirk.

He ducks his head right into the Wind Orb and brains himself.

Drakath, taking advantage of me distracting the ninja, took his chance and had swung the Orb up into Tomoe's head.

Tomoe's head is knocked back and a sloppy slash at his chest was enough to force him back, clutching the tear in his clothes.

"Very good," Tomoe said, panting as blood seeps through his fingers. Some drips from his forehead over his eye. "You two could actually make a good team if you tried."

"Are you joking?" Drakath spits as he stands and if we weren't stuck out here, I would have laughed for a year.

"Can you two keep it up though?" Tomoe raises a brow and prepares to charge again.

"No. No we can't." I shake my head and turn to Drakath and Rhubarb's prone body.

"What are you doing?" Drakath asks, holding the Orb closer and pointing at Tomoe insistantly. "He's over there. Go get him!"

The Orb looks heavy. Drakath could make it to shore if he tried swimming with it but it would completely drain his energy. He would barely make it in the state he's in right now. Speaking of which…

"Why are you still here?" I ask back, lowering myself to grab Lib by his draconic scruff. He was too shocked at what just happened to care. "Why haven't you swum away yet? There's nothing else in the water to hurt you."

"I…that's…" Drakath turns his eyes down at his soaked boots, flustered. "That's none of your business."

"I don't understand how it isn't!"

Though I was genuinely curious, I didn't hesitate to grab a corner of Drakath's cape, tie a quick knot around Lib's tail with it and ram my fist into his stomach.

Apparently, the voice's hold on me was getting stronger. The dent I made in Drakath's armor could attest to that.

The punch leaves Drakath wheezing and Lib didn't react fast enough to burn Drakath's cape off of his tail before I shove the two of them into the water.

They sink and disappear before I finished blinking.

I turn my attention to Rhubarb next. Gently, I nudge him into the water and there was hardly a splash.

Hopefully, being deep in the water will prevent anyone from finding them easily and they can walk to shore later. Hell, maybe some nice fish people will give them some help.

"Oh dear," Tomoe lowers his weapons and clicks his tongue. "When people hear about this, they'll talk. You're always full of surprises. Do your friends know? They should."

"Is that why you've revealed yourself? Am I full of too many surprises?" I sneer, turning my chin up at him even though I was having trouble seeing. My vision was getting fuzzy and every tiny movement Tomoe made had an after-image.

"I thought it went very well up until now," Tomoe says, sounding irritatingly proud of himself. "I didn't even know half of what was going on and we still went a long way working together."

"We weren't!" I snap, wanting to make a run at him but my injured ankle was going to make me fall before I could make four steps.

_So he has made a slight against one of your friends? You let those three rats escape so that you could use me to your own ends. How devious._

"You deserve this," I glare at the ninja. "For what you and the others did, I'll tear this island in two and do the same to you."

"I can see the reason why my friends and I deserve your ire however I do not see why the island needs to be torn in two," Tomoe spares a glance at the towers of black smoke billowing from both towns of Sho Nuff. "Not that it wasn't torn already."

"If I'm going to avenge him, I'm going to go all the way." I step forward with my injured foot. I feel nothing. Right now, that was a good thing. Tomoe doesn't know what's going to hit him and turn him inside out.

"Wow," Tomoe claps, impressed. "If I had known you were that type of person, I might have had to rework a few things but oh well. In the end, everything still fell into place."

"What are you talking about?" I stare at him and his home. "Your island is in ruins and so are your friends. You're going to be next."

_Dear, this isn't like you at all. Look at the bigger picture. From all of the destruction that you have wrought, what has been created?_

I don't understand. What could I have given them by almost razing their towns and people to the ground?

"Intelligent enemies, when faced with a larger and more monstrous threat, do find that their odds of survival would be greater with linked arms," Tomoe nods to the ninja and pirate ships sailing together with the ships that belong to Falconreach.

Oh.

So that's your game.

"I actually had a plan all ready to go but then you landed on our doorstep. Yes, that plan took me years to come up with but since you came, I hardly had to lift a finger up until now," Tomoe shakes his head at me. "At first, I thought you were really my sister but then when I realized that I wasn't getting a migraine from hearing you speak after five minutes, I formed a new impromptu plan on the spot. I dropped the hints, gained you the favor of the pirates and led you to Okuchi no Okami. Aren't I good?" He places his palm on his chest. "I helped you give those scoundrels what they deserved and united two warring factions in the process. I hate violence, honest. My actions were for peace. This was the best way to go."

"Hate violence? Yeah right. What about your friends and your sister?" I say accusingly, flexing my fists at my sides.

This makes no sense. People who want peace wouldn't do something like this to achieve it or at least they'd be a little bit guilty about it.

"I believe there is a saying from your parts," Tomoe shrugs his shoulders. "You must crack a few heads to make an omelet. Very quiet omelets."

Holy shit.

"Are you crazy?"

For once, my words catch the ninja off guard and I had three wonderful seconds of savoring his dumbfounded expression before he burst into laughter.

The sound was raucous and didn't fit Tomoe's usual persona.

"Then maybe we are related somehow," Tomoe sighs, his laughter subsiding. "We do take drastic measures to get what we want. But I wasn't expecting this much trouble caused by you and the mangy dog. Despite my efforts, both of you managed to stir enough trouble on this island to last a few lifetimes."

"But I'm guessing it's not much of a problem for you than it is going to be for me."

"Let me make a list though I probably won't be able to name them all," Tomoe counts his fingers. "Espionage is a crime from what I remember, attempted murder, kidnapping, sabotage, thievery, working with a noted criminal information dealer, rescuing a fugitive and actual murder. I'm expecting never to see my sister again or finding parts of her in several bonsai plants scattered around the village. Also, I think this is what can be called terrorism. I am excited to hear the excuses you have to tell your friends."

Shit. If I don't kill him, everyone in Falconreach and Sho Nuff is going to kill me!

_Not if I kill them first._

You stay out of this. For now.

"It's too bad you won't get a chance to make them." Tomoe says.

"So you'll try to kill me instead?" I scoff, taunting to get him to come closer. I just need one touch and that'll speed up the process. Then, if I'm still conscious after it destroys Tomoe, I can break my legs and throw myself into the water to keep it from hurting anyone else.

"Kill you? How awful!" Tomoe covers his mouth with hand and shakes his head. "Of course not! Didn't I just tell you? I'm not here to hurt you. That criminal and the pirate, most definitely, but not you."

"I don't believe you." I say, raising the point of the cutlass at him.

"Please, I speak the truth," Tomoe says, stopping at the tip of the cutlass and flicking it away. "I feel guilty about what I helped Hideyoshi do. Your poor pirate friend," Tomoe shakes his head sadly. "You must treasure him if you went through such lengths to see us fall. I wish I had friends like that."

"You let yours get framed by me or were you planning that all along?"

"They weren't friends. Friends would be people like you," Tomoe steps forward and pats my shoulder. I slap it away but it doesn't deter Tomoe. "So devoted. Even willing to start wars. People like you are hard to come by. That's why I want someone like you to be mine. Together, we can bring peace to this island."

_He thinks himself a selfless savior. He thinks._

"You used me." I shoot back, refusing to move when Tomoe steps into my personal bubble. He was slightly taller but there was enough of a gap to let him look down on me.

It was annoying and I was going to knock his shiny teeth out but the voice had said something interesting.

People like Tomoe were the ones it usually liked.

That made it a danger to everyone who was normal.

"I turned you in the right direction. Hideyoshi has been deprived of a future thanks to his 'negligence.' He certainly isn't going to live that down. He won't live down Yumiko's death either. All of that was thanks to us," Tomoe places his hands on my shoulder and leans down to whisper in my ear. "We ruined his life. Isn't that wonderful? Heiji's too. There's enough to prove that he's a traitor and with Yumiko's disappearance added on to it, everyone's too angry to look over the tiny details."

I should have shoved him away but my arms had become useless. As he spoke, they fell and I lowered my eyes to my feet.

Tomoe had snuck one of his in between them and I realized what he was doing.

His voice had an underlying accusation about it and was intended to make me feel guilt, to bring me down from my so called 'self-righteous' high. The invasion of my personal space was to intimidate and fluster me. Next, Tomoe will tell me that though I meant well, my friends might not see my good intentions and that we can hide it from them somehow. I won't be disowned. All I need to do is follow his plan and it'll work out like it would before.

Except it won't. Not for me. This one last time, he'll throw me under the boat when my guard is down. He'll turn everyone else on me because-

_If the peace that he desires is to last, the enemy that menaces the island must continue to exist._

"This is all for peace. The ninjas and pirates have been at each other's necks for hundreds of years," Tomoe goes on, chuckling at the foolishness of his fellow ninjas and the pirates of Osprey. "Even with the threat that we created for both factions, they still couldn't bring themselves to work together without my help. I had to step in and make a rousing speech. The amount of talking and coaxing I had to do was phenomenal. My audience was quite large and dangerous, you see. All of those ninjas and pirates together watching me-"

That was when it hit me. What Tomoe was really doing all of this bullshit for. Despite the sickening waves, the bitter smell of herbs from Tomoe's clothes and the voice digging its claws into my brain, for a brief moment, it was all clear to me.

"You really are Yumiko's older brother." I say, looking him in the eye. "You may have better language skills but you and your sister want the same thing."

"And what is that?" Tomoe asks, mood unaffected by my rude interruption.

"You don't give a damn about peace," I say, jabbing a gloved finger into his chest. "You want the fame. Tomoe, the ninja who undid centuries of bloody feuding and united the pirates and ninjas and at such a young age too. A near impossible feat that you'll be remembered forever for. Not to mention you'll have the rest of your life set. Who knows, they might even make Thyton retire early so they can let the better man take over."

"What's wrong with that?" Tomoe replies without hesitation or a hint of guilt. "There should be rewards for good deeds."

"You would become just as famous if you worked towards the annihilation of the pirates."

"Too much trouble. I don't like dirtying my hands with violence," Tomoe tsks, rubbing his hands together as if to brush the imaginary dirt away. "I might have had to share the credit if I hadn't given up on that plan. Too many problems and variables."

"You evil…are you even real?" I stutter, struck by how casual he was going about talking about his ambitions.

"I should ask the same, Ty," Tomoe searches my eyes. His smile shrank but becomes more mocking. "You couldn't have possibly thought that your revenge was completely just?"

I didn't have to think about my answer.

I thrust my fist into Tomoe's stomach but he reads my move and jumps back. Feeling myself slip away just a little bit more, my legs act on their own. I bend my knees and l leap for Tomoe, shattering the wood where I had once stood.

"Do you think that I would have gone this far if I cared?" I aim to slice Tomoe's head off but he bends back, letting the blade nick his chin. Grunting in frustration, I slash down on him but Tomoe had already recovered and blocked with his sword.

We part and I jab and slash over and over, letting more cracks form on the cutlass as I try to get another lick on him.

Tomoe was treating our fight like a game. Every attack was skillfully parried and he deliberately moves slower to match my sluggish pace.

Sometimes he'd slide his blade past mine and poke me just to rile me up. He'd get me on my cheek just below my eye, make a small cut on my neck or even brush the tip across my lips, careful not to draw blood.

He could have killed me but decided to tease me instead.

Hearing the faint sound of a giggle through the metallic screeching of our swords, I bring the cutlass down on his blade and hold it down.

We were stuck in a deadlock but it wasn't going to last long. The metal of the cutlass was cheap and it was going to shatter if I put any more force on it.

That was the plan.

_You won't be needing my help yet?_

"Changed my mind. I want to gut you myself!"

I'll deal with you later.

_Stubborn as always. But at the least, you have spoken to me again._

"You sure you can do that?" Tomoe manages through a wince. "You don't look too good, Ty."

Tomoe was right. I look like wet and mucky trash. Not only that but my fingers were slipping off of the cutlass. Even with the tropic air, being soaked for so long was making me cold and my muscles were freezing up.

_Not long now. Sleep dear. I will take care of this._

The voice's hold on me wasn't making it any easier. Numbness was taking over my mind and from the way Tomoe was looking at my eyes, my pupils must had shrunk into dots and the blues paled to a near white. That was what happened when the voice takes over.

_You become charmingly beastly._

Tomoe was no prize either. Not even for fifth place in a four man race with all that sticky blood running down from his forehead.

"I know I can. I'll destroy every one of you," I growl as the metal of the cutlass creaks. "You can break my legs, cut off my arms, smash my head in, it doesn't matter. I'll come after you and your kind," I snarl, pushing him back farther. "Because if I don't punish you for what you did to Patch, you'll never get what you deserve!"

With an enraged roar, I step back, breaking the deadlock and bring the cutlass down on Tomoe like a guillotine.

He blocks the cutlass again and it shatters, splitting into jagged pieces that fly into Tomoe, embedding themselves in his skin.

"AH!" Tomoe cries out, clutching the side of his face. A piece of metal had pierced his cheek and blood was gushing freely from his new wounds.

Some had hit me too but my armor had protected me.

One makes a gash across my jawline but I had been prepared for pain.

With Tomoe caught off guard, I smash his wrist with the hilt of the cutlass and disarm him. The cracking of his bones was sweet music to my ears.

His weapon drops to the ground and well placed kick to his knee breaks it and he collapses as well.

I stomp on his shoulder and push a piece of the cutlass farther into his flesh. The scream I earn could have been heard in Falconreach.

"Don't be too sad, Oni-chan," I taunt Tomoe as he struggles weakly under my boot, his face contorted in agony. I kneel to make sure that I was the last thing he would see. "You'll get your fame. The first ninja martyr, dying of a mysterious cause for the sake of the island. Ah, why must the good die so young?" I dangle the broken cutlass over his neck. It might take a few stabs with the broken blade but it'll do its job. "So long Tomoe, you were truly a kind-hearted person."

Grinning, I raise what was left of the cutlass and thrust it into Tomoe's throat.

"STOP!"

The scream halts my hand and the beating of my heart.

With the jagged metal touching his Adam's apple, Tomoe smiles and chimes "Always have a backup plan."

The scream had come from the small boat that Tomoe used to get to me. I hadn't given it much thought and that was a mistake.

Sitting up in the boat with his hand outstretched in panicked desperation was Ash Dragonblade.

"TY! STOP!" He yells and the look he gave me reminded me of a poor dog soaked from miserable rain. I could see the betrayal set in his eyes.

"Ash?" I stand and step off the wounded ninja, letting the cutlass fall beside Tomoe's head. "Ash, what are you doing here? You're supposed to be with my sister."

"I am." Ash says, anger and disbelief in his shaking voice. He pulls out a jar from the bag that was slung over his shoulder. The jar was filled with a sloshing near transparent liquid.

What had happened was obvious.

My sister had been defeated through some miracle and was forced to revert to her original form. Now, she was too weak to move or speak and I had no one to back me up anymore.

"Ty, tell me you were joking. Tell me." Ash glares at me with enough intensity to make my knees go weak.

"H-how much did you hear?" I stutter, feeling my eyes water.

"I woke up when he was listing all of the things you did and we broke the shackles just in time to stop you from killing him."

"Who's we?"

"Chiffon, you can stand up now. It's okay." Ash looks down and shakes his leg. I couldn't see who was with Ash in the boat until he pulls the person up himself.

Then I was seeing red.

"You!" I glare at the pirate who had attacked Patch, Lilka and I. "Ash, get away from him! He was the one that tried to kill us!"

"Please for'ive me, lass! I didn't know you weren't a ninja!" The pruney old pirate begs, hiding behind Ash for safety. "I didn't know me pirate brother still be alive either."

"Shut up and get away from Ash!" I was about to get over there and choke him to death but Ash raises his arms, shielding the sniveling pirate.

"C'mon, Ash. Trust me. You don't want to be friends with him. He's a criminal and he tried to hurt me and the others." I soften my voice but Ash doesn't budge.

"I won't let you hurt either of them, Ty." Ash shakes his head adamantly.

"But Ash-"

"Ty, please!" Ash shouts, making me flinch. "Tell me the truth! Is all of this-" He shakes his arm at the island. "Is all of this your doing? Was this because you were attacked? All of those people…They didn't do anything!"

"That's not-"

"I can't believe this, Ty," I could hear the disappointment seethe from him. "You're supposed to be a hero!"

"I'm trying! Look, I was just trying to catch them. If I didn't do anything, they wouldn't have been brought to justice."

"You call this justice?" Ash demands, squeezing his eyes shut. "You were going to kill him! You were going to kill everyone!"

"We've slain monsters before haven't we?" I try to smile but that just made him angrier.

"Ty, that's…that's crazy!" Ash says. "Those are people. That's completely different," Ash was having trouble speaking to me so he looks down at my boots. "You weren't kidnapped by the ninjas and pirates. You were fine and you lied to us! We came here because we thought you were in trouble! People could have died!"

"Ash, this isn't-"

"Stop talking!" Ash shouts, balling his hands into fists. "I don't need to hear anymore. You're going to come with me and tell everyone back on the beach about what you did. You're going to fix this. If you really are my friend, you'll listen to me."

"No, I didn't…" My throat was dry and I had lost my words. A cold shiver was creeping into my bones and I hear it speak.

_Does this dreadful boy think he is your friend? Ridiculous. No friend of yours would cast you to the sharks. Even after all that you have done for him, for them, he still wishes to see you fall._

_Enough of this._

_The dog that bites the hand that feeds it must be put down._

My chest heaves and I feel fire and claws burning and ripping my lungs apart. Gasping, I drop to my knees as the voice forces its control over me.

"Uh oh, someone isn't happy," Tomoe sits up, smiling despite the trembling. "I was going to tell you that this would happen but I think you inferred that from before and yet-" Tomoe picks up the broken cutlass, gripping the handle tightly as he leers at Ash. "You decided to defend them."

"Ty? What's wrong? Are you-"

"Stay back!" I yell at Ash, clutching my chest in pain and fall on my stomach. My whole world had flared up. The dim light leaking through the clouds was now bright enough to burn my eyes and the quiet sound of the waves threatened to burst my ear drums.

My senses were overloading and that thing was on the verge of taking over and killing everyone on the raft.

"I heard about something like this happening in Falconreach before that terrible tragedy with the pyromancer," Tomoe says as Ash steps out of the boat and on to our make shift raft. The cowardly pirate stays behind and huddles in the boat. "It wasn't until a ranger dragged a necromancer in to stop you. As far as I know, there aren't any necromancers or rangers for miles."

His words were painful and I cover my ears to keep my ear drums from rupturing. I think I was screaming; my throat's raw and I can't breathe but everything's too loud for me to even hear myself think.

_Stop resisting. Please, dear? We can't let them get away._

"Get away get away get away!" I repeat, tearing at my hair as I thrash. Small hands were rolling me on my back and pushing me down, trying to help me but I knock Ash back. "You need to get away!"

"Is this like what happened in Falconreach?" Ash pushes me down again to keep me still. "No, this is bad! I can't get any help here!"

I force my eyes to open and though the light was blinding, I could see that I wasn't that far from the water.

If I roll into the water, it'll have trouble getting swimming back up and that'll give Ash enough time to run and tell the others.

"Nice of you to join us," Tomoe grabs Ash from behind and wrestles him into a choke hold, hovering the tip the broken cutlass over Ash's eye. Ash struggles and kicks, dislodging pieces of sword and tearing larger cuts in Tomoe's skin but the ninja just laughs it off. "It's a shame that you have to go like this but there can only be one monster for the peace to last. I can't have you going off and telling everyone that there are two."

Tomoe raises the cutlass and time slows down.

If I try to escape to keep the voice from using me to kill Ash, Tomoe's going to kill him.

If I stay and kill Tomoe, I know I won't be able to hold the voice back and it'll make me kill Ash.

Either way, Ash is going to die and it'll be my fault.

I ended up failing one of my new friends and dragging another to his death.

"I really am worthless." I cough and squeeze my eyes shut.

"Get off o' im!" The old pirate slams himself into Tomoe, releasing Ash from his hold.

The pirate and ninja roll away, each fighting to subdue the other. The pirate manages to knock the broken cutlass out of Tomoe's hand and it sinks into the water.

"Ty!" Ash scrambles for me, dragging me up on his lap. "Can you hold on for a bit longer? We'll get help for you."

"I messed up," I say, wrapping my fingers around my neck. The dragon amulet scalds my hands but I was too far gone to actually feel pain. "I'm sorry. Hurry and push me into the water before it's too late. I'm very bad at swimming."

"No!" Ash holds my wrists, trying to calm me. "Just a little longer and we'll make it, whatever it is, stop."

_Do not sully us with your filth._

The pressure in my chest builds and I clench my teeth to muffle my scream. The veins in my neck were bulging out and I could hear one of my back teeth crack.

"It hurts!" I shriek. My eyes were going to melt out of their sockets! It was too bright! "Ash! Push me into the water! AAAAAAHHHHGGGGGG! I'm going to die!" My arms flail uncontrollably, smashing holes into the wood and Ash still refuses to let go.

"Snap out of it!" Ash yells, hugging me to himself. "There's time," he lies. "If we can get to shore, I know there has to be at least one person who knows ne-"

Ash gasps, stiffening up. His arms go limp and he falls over across my chest.

"Ash!" I call his name and my voice cracks.

A kunai, thrown with eagle eye precision, was sticking out of his bleeding back.

"I'm a ninja," Tomoe says, twirling a kunai as he stands over the pirate. Another kunai was stabbed hilt-deep into his chest. "We usually have more than one weapon on us." He comes over and casually kicks Ash off of me.

"Though kunai are meant to be gardening tools, they cut through skin just as well as they cut through stems," Tomoe kneels beside me and I scream in rage, still unable to do anything useful besides hurting myself. "Now, I had wanted this to go smoother and let you kill that pirate and have Ash be witness but that little knight just had to go and wake up first and you just had to be reckless. We still went according to plan. You can't go back and I just heard that you're very bad at swimming." Tomoe wipes a blood smear off of the side of his pleasant smile and drags me by the chain of my amulet towards the water.

"I know those water breathing potions have made it impossible for anyone to drown but it'll give me time to rush back and warm everyone back home that our former hero has gone mad," Tomoe yanks on the choker, robbing me of the ability to curse. "Went through a weird transformation and killed a poor old pirate and a young man from Falconreach after she confessed to starting a war and using the Jewel of the Four Winds to destroy a ship. She and her family are a menace and she promised she'll be back. How does that sound? Weave a few potent lies into the truths and no one will know the difference."

The pirate had gone still but Ash was still moving towards us.

"Determined. A very good quality for a hero," Tomoe notes, watching Ash struggle to move. "You should have seen him out there in the water, dog paddling with that pirate around the sea monster you had. Too bad about that pet of yours. It blew apart into chunky bits of meat," he says, watching Ash carefully. "You know what, if I chop him up, that'll scare everyone at home even more. I'd bet that's what you would have done to him if he had crossed you."

Through the excruciating and blinding pain, there was nothing but hatred. My entire body was filled with the desire to kill Tomoe. The numb cold was replaced by searing heat that radiated from the amulet choking me like a noose. It became so hot I could have sworn the sea was bubbling.

Despite that, I couldn't control my body anymore and there was nothing I could do to stop him.

"This is good bye," Tomoe laughs. "With this, I'll be on top of the world! As long as they see you as a monster, I'll be their savior. Ha, I've never felt so light before! This is it." He raises his hand dramatically in triumph and a pillar of sea water erupts behind us.

Tomoe goes stock still as salt water rains down on us in huge drops. The mist settles and the pillar falls apart, replaced by shimmering blue scales and rows of pointed teeth.

"Lib?" I gape at the enormous dragon head that had risen from the water.

Though I had seen him transform before, it had ended too quickly for me to actually get a good look at the brat.

He was still a brat but now he was towering over us with four parallel horns that could pierce through castle walls and a jaw large enough to swallow sea monsters whole. His huge golden eyes glare at Tomoe and he leans down to roar, displaying five sets of his teeth. The booming sound almost blew us off the raft and cannonball sized globs of saliva fly out of his maw.

Tomoe drops the chain and steps back, giving me the chance to breathe.

"I thought the sea monster that attacked that pirate's ship was defeated at Osprey. What is this?" Tomoe says, looking up as Lib spread his silvery wings.

"What do you think he is?" I say, falling on my back and letting the streams of water dripping from Lib wash over me.

"Get me off of this thing! Let me down!" I hear high-pitched screeching coming from the top of Lib's head.

It made me smile.

Hanging on to one of Lib's horns for dear life was the wimpy prince. Drakath had his arms and legs wrapped around the black horn and he didn't even notice us.

"Is Rhubarb okay?" I ask Lib, voice hoarse and hardly loud enough to be heard.

He narrows his eyes at me, obviously annoyed at how I had shoved him into the sea.

"Stupid Butterbrain," Lib rumbles and the amulet glows, letting warmth flooding my skin. "I can't let you do anything by yourself."

Good enough answer for me.

"Yeah." I grin and that satisfies the little brat. Lib then redirects his fury back towards the frozen ninja.

"Nothing I say is going to keep me from losing my head I suppose." Tomoe says, staring up at Lib's pearly whites.

"Absolutely." Lib opens his jaws and goes in to chomp on the bastard's head.

"Stop!" I raise my arm weakly just in time for Lib to snap his maw shut centimeters from Tomoe's nose.

"Mercy? Really?" Tomoe laughs nervously, stepping away from Lib's snout. Lib breathes out a stiff and cold gust of wind from his nostrils and Tomoe squeaks in fright.

"No." I look past him to see Ash. Though I was sure he was still in pain and very angry at me, he smiles gratefully before he goes back to concentrating on moving himself.

Pain instantly retakes me and I start to convulse again. A vile presence pushes my consciousness to the brink and my raspy shrieks.

_I will rend the flesh from these repulsive creatures._

"Who was that?" Lib lifts his head, alert. "Who said that?"

The dragon amulet flashes brightly with every alarmed word lib spoke.

He could hear it? How? No one's ever heard it before!

_Interesting. We've never slain such a curious beast. This shall be a pleasure._

"Lib! Take the others and go!" I yell but the sensation of hands wringing my neck muffles my warning and my vision goes white. With more effort than should have been needed, I roll on to my stomach and drag myself closer to the water.

_There. Much better._

"Where are you? Ty!" Lib roars, panicked by the voice. He searches for what was making the noise but he wouldn't find it.

"Hey, quit shaking your head!" Drakath yells. "I said stop shaking your head! You're going to make me drop-No!"

Seconds later, something heavy falls onto my chest plate and jars the world back into focus.

"Ow!" I gasp, feeling the cool touch of smooth glass.

The Wind Orb sits on my chest and the golden clouds trapped under the glass swirl under my hand.

_What is this? An artifact of some sort? There is strange magic about it._

The still air around us begins to pick up with the speed of the clouds within the Orb. Mesmerized by the glowing crystal, I watch the soft glow and let it envelop me.

There was a pull, a tug that draws the tension and worry out of me. It was like a hand was pressing against my chest and squeezing the air out of my lungs.

It wasn't a bad feeling.

It was comfortably odd.

_Wait. This is…no No NO NO!_

"Huh?" I blink with heavy eyelids. "What's up with you? You're never scared."

_Drop the Orb. Drop it now!_

"Don't wanna." I slur and the Orb shines brighter. The wind was picking up speed and Libérta turns his head up.

"The fat guy's coming down." He alerts us and Tomoe's jaw drops as he watches Honda plummet and flop back on to the middle of the island. He crushes the bamboo forest, creating and a quake that shakes the island and a crater that ate almost a quarter of the forest.

_No._

Not far from us, the water begins to bubble viciously and Lib growls, uneasy.

_No no no NO no NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO_

"Butterbrain, tell it to shut up!" Lib hisses at me but I didn't register it. The voice's distress was going to make my brain implode.

"Um, is there someone else here?" Tomoe glances around at the island and the swirling water, worried. "I heard someone who seemed to be disagreeing with the situation."

_NoNoNoNoNoNONNONOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOooaaaaoaoaoaooaaaaaahhhhh._

_Woah. Wooaaaahhh. Woah._

The Orb rises and spins in mid-air.

_Is this the beach? I see sand and water. Are there fish? Glubububububububu._

"What?" I snap out of the trance and listen to the voice's gibberish.

"What's wrong with it?" Lib sniffs, eyeing the bubbles and the Orb cautiously.

"This is the beach, Wind Orb-san," Tomoe addresses the question. "And I do believe that there are fish. They've all must have fled because of the commotion."

"Huh?" I gape at the ninja. "Are you getting seasick? Does seasickness help you hear things?"

_Awwww. No fishy fish?_

The Orb blinks with every word the voice says.

"No way!" I exclaim, sliding away from the Wind Orb as it spoke. "How did you get in there? Get back!"

_Eh?_

The Orb hears me and zips over to fly around my head as I shield my face.

_Is that you? How are you? You look good. Soggy but good. Did your mother give you that?_

"Ty? What's going on?" Ash croaks, having reached the old pirate's side. When he lays a gentle hand on the old man's shoulder, my stomach turns and I thought I was going to be sick.

_Yoho, it's a pirate._

The Orb zooms towards Ash and the pirate.

"Hey! Don't go anywhere near them!" I shout, grabbing at the Orb and missing.

Lib, sharing my sentiment, raises a claw to smack the Orb away but it had already made it to them.

_Pirates aren't any fun when they're sleeping. Peek-a-boo, time to wake up. My fishy fish is going to wake up too._

The misty clouds that had been trapped within Orb spill out and cover Ash and the pirate. The weapons that were still set in them glow gold before evaporating into thin air and their wounds shut, healed.

The pirate gasps and sits bolt upright.

"Where am I? I could 'ave sworn I was rollin' in a mountain o gold and ladies!" The pirate moans and grabs Ash's shoulders, shaking him back and forth as he laughed. "Why did you bring me back, lad?"

"Ash!" I scramble, still on all fours, towards him and tackle him out of the pirate's grubby hands. "Fudge it all, I'm sorry! I'm sorry…" I hug him tightly, trying to hide my sniffles.

"It's…okay." Ash pats my back and sighs, tired as he leans into the embrace.

_Yoho, I didn't know you could be cute._

"Um, I don't want to ruin this moment for you but perhaps you could ask your behemoth to carry us away," Tomoe interrupts, frightened. "There's something in the water."

_My fishy fish._

"Butterbrain, the Orb is doing something!" Lib snarls at the bubbling water. A huge orange tentacle shoots out of the bubbles and Ash and I fall over when the waves rock the raft.

"Lass, Lad," The pirate crawls behind us, like that was going to protect him. "I took that first sea monster attack as a stroke o' bad luck. Second time I be suspicious. Third time? The gods of the sea 'ave cursed me."

"Lib, get us out of here!" I yelp and the dragon scoops the raft up in his mouth and gallops to the island through the water.

There was no attempt at care and we were just about crushed between Lib's thousands of serrated and sharp teeth. They stab through the wood and though he was keeping from biting down on us, every time he jumps we get just a tiny bit closer to becoming bits of meat stuck between his teeth.

The only semi-safe part was farther back on the dragon's tongue but then there was the danger of being accidently swallowed if he trips.

Suddenly, the spike pit that was Lib's mouth floods with sea water.

He had gotten caught on something or that something had caught him.

By then, the raft that we had fought on had been shredded and there was nothing to hang on to besides Lib's fangs. I grab the tip of his tooth and hold Ash under my arm. The pirate attaches himself to Ash's legs and the ninja had the same idea as I did and grips another tooth.

I couldn't see what was happening and there was no way for me to help Lib. The amulet burns bright red as we get tossed about.

I peek through my eyelids out of Lib's mouth, seeing his claws rake against the sandy sea floor. Tentacles were wrapped around his limbs, tugging him back.

_My fishy fish wants to play._

The voice alerts me to the presence of the Orb. It floats above me and buzzes contently.

Was it commanding the sea monster? There wasn't any other reason why it had appeared out of nowhere.

If I wasn't holding on to Ash, I would have been able to reach up and grab the Orb. If I drop him, I could take the Orb and figure out what to do with it but Ash might get crushed by the two behemoths before I find a way to stop this shit.

So we're still fucked.

Then, a loud chorus bangs sound off overhead and the tentacles are torn away from Lib.

Taking his chance, he breaks through the water's surface and tosses his head back. The motion makes my fingers slip off of his slimy tooth and the three of us fall into the back of Lib's mouth, landing on his soft and bumpy tongue.

I think I like the cage of spikes better than having to bounce around on Lib's taste buds. This would be a really bad time for Lib to discover that he has a taste for humans.

Thankfully, it didn't take us long to reach the beach and there, Lib ejects us from his mouth in the worst way possible.

A jet of water shoots out of his throat and we're thrown out of his mouth and into the sand, bombarded with gallons of weird dragon water.

When the flow stops, I pull my head out from the beach and cough out a mouthful of water, sand and a broken shell.

"What was that for?" I wipe my mouth and glare at Lib.

"Gag reflex," Lib curls his lip back and shakes his head. It was so large, the motion made the palm trees sway. "You taste greasy and salty. Bleagh," Lib sticks out his tongue at me. "Pull out Ash. I think he's dying again."

Looking behind me, I found Ash and the pirate half buried in the sand. The pirate was stuck from his waist down and Ash's legs were pointing straight up in the air while the rest of him was buried beneath.

Grabbing on to his ankles, I yank Ash out and fall backwards.

"Ptoooh!" Ash spits out a glob of sand and a distressed small crab. It scurries away and Lib, spying it, slaps it into the ground right beside us.

The pirate yelps, finding himself between two colossal talons.

"What the fuck was that for?" I kick Lib's toe but that probably felt like nothing to him.

"Just testing." Lib snorts, lifting his draconic foot and smiling at the print he made.

Biting back a groan, I soothe Ash's back as he dry heaved on to the sand.

"Hey, Lib? Is that guy still up on your head?" I call up to Lib and Drakath.

"When I get down there, I'm going to kill you and have one of the necromancers turn you into my undead slave!" Drakath yells at me, shrill. "I'll have you serving me for the rest of your wretched un-life!"

"So you like me that much?" I tease and get a frustrated flurry of obscenities in return.

"I-I," Ash takes a deep breath before heaving again. "I almost died four times today."

"That's good. Four's a bad number but you made it past. It can only get better." I joke, giggling when I see Ash start to grin.

He immediately bites on his lip and turns serious again.

"I still want you to tell everyone the truth," He turns around and sits, facing me. "We're here now. You and that ninja better explain everything," Ash frowns. "All of the things you did while you were here. What happened on the raft too. It was the same as what you did in Falconreach. I'm your friend. You can tell me."

My ears were buzzing and I look down at his knees, avoiding how trusting he was of me.

"Will you stay my friend?" I bite my cheek as I stand, wringing my hands. "Even when you hear it, will you stay my friend? For sure? With no doubt?"

"Yes." Ash nods firmly without a pause. He didn't have to think about it.

"If it's you then…I trust you, okay?"

"Always," Ash nods again. Then his brow furrows and he glances over his shoulder and looks past me. "Hey, where'd the ninja go?"

Right on cue, Tomoe erupts from the sand behind me, grabs my neck and slams my head into the ground, pinning me on my back with his weight on my chest.

Ash, Lib and the pirate all shout and Lib opens his jaws to shoot the ninja but the sharp point of a kunai pokes the side of my exposed throat.

"Don't think about attacking me or trying to save her," Tomoe pants, still hanging on to his tattered plan. "You won't be fast enough, that's a promise."

"Mr. Ninja, let her go. You both can't get away with this anymore," Ash says, fighting to keep his voice level. "Put it down."

"In about three minutes, I'll think up a new plan," Tomoe says, breathing heavily. "Look over there," He says, glancing at the gigantic orange octopus that was tangling with a fleet of ninja and pirate ships. "There too," This time, he nods in the direction of the bamboo forest where the demon bellied giant was trying to wade through the shoots. He should have been cruising through without a problem but something was holding him up.

"The pirates and ninjas are working side by side and it's all thanks to me. All on paper of course." Tomoe grins, proud.

"Still going on about that?" I say, wincing as he presses the kunai harder against my skin. "The tables have been turned upside down. We're both done. Especially you. All of that moving around with your broken leg and wrist is because of the adrenaline rush. You won't make it out on just that," I smirk. "Kill me and Lib is going to smash you into smithereens and help is going to come very soon. They aren't going to be pleased if they see you like this."

"It'll take them a while," Tomoe snaps. "As you can see, they're all busy. That means I have more than enough time to-"

An arrow in his shoulder shuts him up and Ash rushes him, shoving him off of me.

"Ha, how do you like that?" I sit up and an arrow flies into my shoulder, piercing through my armor with a 'shoomp'. "Fuck, I don't even care anymore." I threw my hands up in defeat.

"You should, Onibaba!" I high and obnoxious voice made my stomach shrivel into a raison and it did the same to Tomoe going by the look on his face. It was hurting him more than the arrow lodged in his shoulder.

"Guess who's back!" Yumiko emerges like Aphrodite, stepping out of the sea foam with her hair fluttering in the breeze. Crap, I lost my bag during my fight with Blackberry. She must have fallen out.

Lib takes one look at her and promptly vomits Rhubarb on to the sand.

"I thought I was forgetting something." Lib says, averting his eyes from Yumiko's shining figure.

"Ty!" Ash runs to me and hovers his hands over the arrow. "What do we do? Are you okay? Is that your evil twin? Is that your good twin?" Ash stumbles over and messes up the order of his words.

"It's fine," I grumble, yanking out the arrow. "It didn't wound me but it was still a miracle that it got through my armor."

"Not a miracle," Yumiko shakes her head as she approaches Ash and I, another arrow ready. "I'm just that good."

"Yumiko!" Tomoe curls his mouth into a reluctant smile, arm outstretched towards his beloved sister. "Thank the gods that you're here! Where did you come from?" An arrow in his other shoulder silences him.

"Stop!" Ash yells, putting himself in front of me.

"He'll live and from what I saw happening, the baka-head deserved it," Yumiko says, glaring at me. "You deserve another in your kimochi warui face but I think there are other ways to make you pay."

"Nice going there," I laugh, snapping the arrow in two. "We have exactly the same face, you air-headed idiot! God damn, what is it like in that head? Does your one brain cell get lonely sometimes or is it full of yourself just like you and your shitty bro?"

"Ty, please stop talking!" Ash pleads, putting hands up in surrender. "You have an arrow pointed at your head!"

"Your shota has a point," Yumiko contorts her face to sneer and smile at the same time in what was supposed to be menacing but she ended up looking like a crab had just crawled up her ass. "Someone as ugly as you has no right to talk!"

"What did I just say?" I glare at her. If I wasn't so mad I would have been embarrassed for the freak. No wonder Hideyoshi's in love with her. It must be like looking at a mirror and that jerkhole's just as in love with himself as he is with her.

"And another thing, dragon trumps arrows any day," I say, prompting Lib to growl. "You might want to step back now."

"I can take down your dragon," Yumiko pulls the bowstring farther back. "Didn't you know? I'm a dragonology expert."

"Is that actually a real thing?" I throw the question over to Tomoe. He was struggling on his back with the arrows still in his shoulders. He wasn't in nearly as much pain as a regular person would be. Maybe he was used to her doing this. Sibling slapstick maybe?

"She once read a picture book about the subject." He groans, tugging on one of the arrows experimentally.

"I won't be the one slaying you and your dragon though," Yumiko shakes her head. "You have to be brought to proper justice."

"Oh brother. How are you going to do that?" I yawn, scratching the back of my head.

"Not me." Yumiko smirks, lowering her bow and arrow. She steps away from me and bows.

I look over my shoulder to the thick jungle greenery at the edge of the beach behind me. The leaves and trees rustle and the flash of gold and red that could have been seen from the main land alerts me to the coming threat.

Thyton steps out of the trees with a band of his ninjas. After him come a group of pirates to retrieve Rhubarb and then Eli steps out with a handful of guardians and adventurers.

He didn't look happy to see me.

"Your reign of terror ends today." Yumiko proclaims, straightening her posture.

"Get your apology ready."


	30. Fweet

"Eli!" I wave excitedly over to the advancing guardian. "Eli, thank the gods! How did you find us?" I take a step towards Eli and the others.

"Don't move!" Eli orders, voice harsh and commanding.

He and an assortment of guardians and adventurers make their way towards us with their weapons drawn and their guard up. All were battered by battle but they were still standing tall and confident, ready for another fight.

Ash walks up behind me to grab on to my arm as pirates and ninjas run past us to gather their own people.

The pirates rush to Rhubarb's side and start to revive him while the ninjas make their way to Tomoe, shaking their heads and murmurs of 'again?' reach my ears.

Thyton stays by Eli's side and if he was surprised to see two copies of one of his most nightmarish ninjas, he didn't show it.

"Thyton-sensei!" Yumiko goes running towards her leader, kicking sand up into our faces. "It's me, Yumiko! I caught the criminals!"

"Criminals?" I scowl at her idiotic accusation. "We're the criminals?" I was so insulted that I was sure that the smoke coming out of my ears were making thicker pillars than the ones coming from their ruined homes.

"Ty." Ash uses my name to calm me and clutches my arm tighter, reminded me to keep myself in check.

"I see you've figured out how to use your dragon amulet." Eli says, looking up at Lib's towering form.

His tone was threatening enough to Lib that he begins to growl. Eli tightens his grip on his sword and prepares for an attack but a bunch of his guardians and adventurers run past him to take a better look at the dragon. They begin to jump and climb on Lib, cooing and squealing over how incredible he looked. Some of the younger pirates and ninjas join them.

Their awed compliments on his massive size and appreciative words on the sharpness of his talons and teeth and the sheen of his scales makes the dragon sit straighter. Lib extends his neck to show himself off more at the clamoring humans and stretches his wings for them to see.

An indulgent draconic grin told me that he had lost interest in blowing Eli's butt across the ocean.

Raising his brow at the preening dragon, Eli turns back to me.

"Am I to assume that you had something to do with the oversized octopus and the ninja's giant?" Eli asks, pointing over to the nearer monster out in the ocean that was tearing up the ships that had come to fight it.

"A little," I shrug and Ash shakes my arm insistently. Taking a deep breath through my nose, I relax my tense shoulders and say "I know. I'll tell him everything."

Ash had heard Tomoe list off all the things that I did while I was on the island but luckily, I had never confirmed any of his accusations.

"Will you? I think everyone would like to hear what you have to say." Eli glares at me like I was the one who had put the dent on his chest plate.

Thyton stands by him but remains composed. The gleaming red eyes in the darkness of his helmet watches me with interest but shows nothing else.

"Did Patch and Lilka make it back safely?" I ask, eyeing the ninja warily and stepping slightly in front of Ash.

"They did. Patch was injured but he's safe as is the elf. We met them on the beach at Aika Village. They told me that you had stayed back to see if your suspicions about the pirates and ninjas wanting the Wind Orb held any water." Eli answers and Thyton shifts his gaze to Eli.

It was apparent that this fact didn't come up when they negotiated the truce.

All eyes turn my way and you could hear the tension crackle between the temporarily allied warriors.

The cowardly pirate whimpers, watching the silent struggle and Tomoe stays quiet. I don't think this would be a good time for him to talk, especially with those arrows in his shoulders.

"Did you find any proof?" Eli asks.

"None that was solid but it's obvious, isn't it?" I say and the glares of the pirates and ninjas jab at me from all directions.

Ash was starting to shake from his fraying nerves and I hold on to the hand that he was holding my arm with, squeezing his fingers comfortingly.

"If you want, I can take you to Kordana and we can have a chat but I think we're all a bit too busy to take a trek through the jungle right now," I say, glancing over to the calamari-lover's dream out wreaking havoc out at sea. I couldn't see Honda but I bet he was tearing the forest up just as much as that sea creature was tearing those ships apart.

"These pirates and ninjas were at each other's throats not too long ago. If one side had the Wind Orb, they'd have complete control over the island and potentially go beyond that." I continue and the accusation makes Thyton narrow his eyes.

"It's perfectly reasonable! I'd be an idiot if I didn't," I say, glaring back at the ninja. "I was attacked by your ninjas and they accused us of conspiring with the pirates. War could have been brought to Falconreach and Swordhaven if I didn't do anything. As for the pirates…they're pirates."

"That be a good point." The cowardly pirate jumps in and another pirate by him whacks the back of his head to shut him up.

The pirates weren't pleased with my explanation but no one argues and the ninjas kept their dignified silence.

"Yeah, I'll admit it. I snuck into the ninja village first and it couldn't have been easier even if all of you had been blind," I snicker and Yumiko's face turns so red, I was sure she was going to pop and spray everyone with her blue blood. While her fellow ninjas were far better at masking their emotions than she was, a ninja standing by Tomoe snaps his blade in half. Ash whimpers and looks up at me, silently pleading me to stop making them mad. "I just had to nab the one that looked like me and skip on in. Don't look so mad. I wasn't going to kill her."

"You kept me in that smelly bag for weeks!" Yumiko shrieks, jumping up and down. "I could have been crushed by the amount of trash you kept in there. I almost starved! I had to eat the sneevil corpse you left rotting in the corner!"

At that, Thyton snorts. It happens so quickly that I hardly catch it. The side of Eli's mouth turns up for a second before he remembers that he should still be making an angry face.

"You survived, didn't you? And thanks to you, I don't need to clean out my bag." I cross my arms and this time, many of Thyton's ninjas laugh out loud with no restraint, disturbing some of the adventurers and pirates.

"Quit with the jokes, Onibaba!" Yumiko fumes and I get to see how ugly I look when I get angry. "Everyone's laughing at how stupid your jokes are!"

"Sure." I roll my eyes as Eli coughs into his fist to get my attention back.

"Kidnapping is a serious offense and I'll take that as a confession?" Eli says and the crowd goes deadly silent as they watch as a high profile 'hero' takes her fall. Yumiko grins, smug.

"Yes. I was desperate with no way to contact home or get off the island inhabited by people who had threatened my friends and Falconreach. I'll take the punishment for it. I will," I look right into Eli's eyes and let the intensity of my stare sear him. "If you were stranded here with two injured civilians under the threat of death and invasion, would you lie on the sand and wait to dry out like a dead fish?"

"No," Eli answers without a second thought. "I wouldn't but why did you not reveal yourself when it became clear that the ninjas meant no harm? I have also heard that you were on the ninja ship that had been captured by the pirates along with the squad of ninjas that had attacked Patch and Lilka. Rhubarb told us that you had captured them yourself and handed them over to the pirates to get in their good graces. Is that true?"

Lib watches the guardian, ready to whisk us away if things went awry.

He knew that this was the hard part. If I mess my answer up, it'll be exile for the both of us. The kind of fraud I pulled was going to get me on everyone's black list regardless of good intentions.

Tomoe, with the arrows safely removed by the ninjas and the wounds they made closed, looks on and though it pains him, he couldn't say a word.

He had a part to play in that fiasco too and I wouldn't have any problem implicating him.

"Yes. I didn't stay long in the village as the mission was on the same day that I had arrived and it was my only chance to get over to the pirate side to investigate." I word my reply slowly. "I let them go. I didn't tell them I was Yumiko but they got away." Save for one but it's best if I don't mention him yet.

"Your hero's words are true," Thyton chooses that moment to speak and I was startled by how at ease he sounds. "My ninjas were soundly beaten and our ship and cargo were lost. I will not seek compensation."

"What?" Ash and I exclaim and the outraged protests of his ninjas block the sound of our voices.

"Ha, slimy ninjas. The whole lot of you." A voice scoffs from behind a group of pirates. First-mate Rhubarb, assisted by a couple of his pirates, stands and hobbles past me to face down Thyton.

"Bilgerat landlubbin' cowards can't even fix yer own mess," Rhubarb spits and Thyton looks like he was just about to stab the pirate in the stomach. That is to say, he looks slightly stiffer. "Let bygones be bygones, eh? Overlookin' a little guppy throwin' yer ninjas around and settin' fire to yer village in exchange fer them overlookin the fact that yer ninjas be pressin' fer a fight with Falconreach and the Balanced. Say, I be alive an' last time I checked, bein' under water fer too long turns ye into a bobbin' cadaver. Know anythin' about that?"

"I was recently sent word that Swordhaven's missing a shipment of water-breathing potions," Eli mentions, eyeing Thyton with newfound suspicion. "The crew delivering the shipment was taken down too fast to see their assailants."

Fuck, really? I don't know anything about King Alteon missing a shipment of water-breathing potions but I'll take any free tickets I can get.

It looks like I wasn't the only one trying to throw the blame off.

"The pirates were the ones who took your water-breathing potions." Thyton says, turning to me. The red cape clasped on to my armor sways in the wind and I touch my shoulder to make sure it was still attached securely.

Thyton was addressing me as the representative of Swordhaven; I guess this cape does have a lot more use than just warming me up.

"We stole their cargo from them and we were planning to return them to you. Of course there is no proof I can show you but that is the truth," Thyton continues under the deadly gazes of the pirates. "My ninjas made a mistake when they attacked. They are young and foolish. I assure you, the Shadow of the Wind Village has no plans against Falconreach or the Kingdom of Swordhaven. I give you our sincerest apologies." Thyton bows low towards me and Eli, outraging his ninjas.

"But Thyton-sensei!" Yumiko gasps. "You're just going to let them off? Not even a slap on her ugle ugle face?"

"Shush, Yumiko." Thyton whispers and for a moment, I hear the shake of fear in his voice.

"But what about what she did to my brother? And to my team? What about the village?"

"I will overlook this as well." Thyton continues and now his own ninjas were just about ready to behead him on the spot.

"Are you kidding?" Yumiko refuses to shut her trap but she was just saying what every ninja here was thinking. Thyton grabs the back of her head and turns her head up at Lib as he yawns, letting his teeth glint in the sun. Far off, we could all hear the booming of Honda's footsteps as he advances towards what was left of the village.

Yumiko gulps and looks down, staring at the sand stuck to her sandals.

"Do you pirates have anything to say? From what I have been told, one of yours attacked the knight as well." Thyton directs the blame elsewhere and now the old cowardly pirate was the one under pressure.

The soggy and shivering pirate was close to tears and when he tries to defend himself, he could only make raspy coughs.

"Yes, he did it," Rhubarb says for him with no sympathy. "We be backstabbin' greedy an' gluttonous pirates but only that rat be dirty enough to attack defenseless youngin's an' 'is own pirate brother fer fun."

The old pirate starts to wail and cry giant drops of tears before he falls on his side and curls into a ball.

"Hey now…" Eli and everyone else cringe at the pitiful sight. I knit my brow at the pirate but I can't say that I feel sorry for him.

He was crying like a starving baby now but I can clearly remembered his gargled laughter when he sunk us. Trying to kill me and my friends takes a lot to make up for. I still want to punt him across the island and into the jaws of a shark.

"As you know, we all be criminals on the island. Sho' Nuff's infested wit' assassins an' thieves. Only difference be that Osprey isn't a village wit' normal folks and their guppies. I think we all know who should get the blame." Rhubarb says and my jaw drops. It was about to fall off and run away.

"Are you…defending them?" I say, incredulous. Weren't they mortal enemies? I'm sure no pirate here would give up the chance to keelhaul a ninja, child or not.

Rhubarb laughs at me. His laugh sounds more like a crackly bark and I was sure my face had become bright red.

"Me? Defend a slimy ninja? Ha! All I be sayin' is that real men face death head on," Rhubarb says, straightening his green coat. "It be an insult to put me an' me pirates on the same level as ninja guppies."

"Excuse me? We are sooo not little kids!" Yumiko pipes up.

"Yumiko!" Thyton quiets his charge with a glance and Yumiko reluctantly went back to staring at her sandy shoes.

"Lass. Lass." I hear sobbing coming from the ground and find that the cowardly pirate had dragged himself over to me. He had wrapped himself around my leg and now he was slobbering all over it with his tears, drool and snot.

"Please stop. Don't do this anymore. I be sorry fer attackin' you an' yer friends," The pirate cries. "I get it. I be scum. Disgusting scum growin' on the bottom o' a dingy old ship. I've 'ad enough! Just kill me and let it be o'er. I just want it to be o'er."

"Chiffon…" Ash reaches towards the pirate and my hatred for him reignites. I kick the mangy old dog on his back before Ash could dirty his hands on the pile of blubbering seagull shit.

"Choke on your pathetic tears!" I spit, ignoring Ash's loud protests. "I'll burn every living thing on this wretched island before I accept your apology!"

"Ty, calm yourself!" Eli orders me as the other's watch in amazement. They were so surprised that they had forgotten that they should be pointing their weapons at me.

"How can I?" I shout, struggling to get out of Ash's frantic grip so I could go over to the coughing pirate and kick his ribcage in. "You think an apology is enough to make up for what you and those ninjas did to Patch and Lilka? Not by a long shot! I'll make sure you all pay in full! Whatever it takes!" I swear, losing all control over my composure.

Lib, hearing my outburst, roars and the sound knocks some of the pirates and ninjas off their feet as the rest struggle to keep their footing and their eardrums intact. An ear piercing screech from the sea monster and a rumbling bellow from the giant in the bamboo forest sound off at the same time, creating a quake that shakes the island.

"Eli! They won't be able to keep the monsters busy any longer!" The guardian standing beside Eli shouts above the noise.

"Ty, just how much were you willing to go to make them pay?" Eli asks when the roars subside, pushing past Rhubarb and Thyton to get to me. "Were you willing to endanger the rest of us so a couple of ninjas and pirates could get what was coming to them?"

"Eli, there's no more time!"

"I know. Just let us talk." Eli raises his finger, requesting just a few more minutes from his charges.

"I was here to protect Falconreach. I would never put you in any real danger." I say, chest still heaving from my shouting. My heart was racing and Ash must have been able to feel how fast my blood was pumping from his iron grip on my arm.

Of course I would never put them in  _real_ danger. What were a village of ninjas and pirates to a town of heroes?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

"Then what about this?" Eli unfolds a familiar wrinkled and torn piece of paper that he took out from his belt pouch. It was a letter of distress written in what seemed to be my hand writing. "Here it says that you had been captured by both the ninjas and pirates who were planning war. From what we can see, it's been almost the exact opposite."

"Ty…did you use us?" Ash asks, letting go of my arm and backs away from me. "Ty, people could have died. You started a war!"

The adventurers and guardians present take in the news and now they had no idea where to point their weapons while the pirates and ninjas regard me in disgusted awe.

"You may be a war hero, a knight of King Alteon and Lady Celestia's chosen champion but this is a grave offense with heavy consequences," Eli warns me, still holding the letter up. His fingers dig into the parchment and it was starting to rip. "The King was about to send help in to destroy this place and if they did so under false information, even you wouldn't be able to come out unscathed."

"You weren't serious about doing whatever it took, right?" Ash stutters as he shakes his head, hoping I would do the same.

"I was being completely serious." I state, wiping off the blood dripping from the cut on my cheek.

"You need to tell the truth, Ty," Eli warns me. "I said that there would be heavy consequences. Don't do anything to make them heavier."

Having gathered their thoughts, the guardians and adventurers move to surround me, ready to stop me if I try to run. They were even prepared to fight Lib if they had to.

Meanwhile, some of the ninjas and pirates were looking pretty smug. Well, the joke's on them.

"I didn't write any letter." I say. "What are you talking about?"

Suddenly, pirates and ninjas push Ash aside and then a myriad of cutlasses, kunai and katana's were poking at the chinks and creases of my armor. The point of an arrow was digging into my throat and the owner of the bow and arrow was raring to let it fly.

"Liar!" Yumiko accuses, fingers quivering on the bowstring.

"Hey! Stop, let her talk!" Ash says, unable push past them to reach me.

"Back off!" A Falconreach warrior levels his long sword against the back of a pirate's neck and the rest of the guardians and adventurers do the same to the others around me.

"Don't bother," Tomoe speaks, catching everyone off guard. "Yumiko-chan, you shouldn't be wasting your time." He laughs and it's a sullen, flat, and defeated sound.

"Shut up!" Yumiko hisses at her brother.

"Is this the truth?" Eli asks. He, Thyton and Rhubarb made no move to stop their underlings and they wait for me to answer.

"I am not lying. I wrote no letter."

"Your sister read this letter. It made her very upset as it did with the rest of us," Eli continues. "She recognized your writing."

"It isn't my writing. I did not make any letter," I say steadily as Yumiko's arrow draws blood. "My sister was mistaken."

"Do you seriously think that we'll take your word for it?" Eli asks.

"If the lass says she didn't write it, she didn't!" The pirate crawls over to Eli's feet this time and for the life of me, I couldn't figure out why he had decided to believe me.

"How do we know for sure?" It was Ash who speaks this time. I couldn't see him but I was sure his face was twisted in worry and doubt, torn between not wanting me hurt and wanting to know the truth.

"May I see that?" Thyton asks and reaches for the letter.

Eli, taken aback by the sudden interruption, almost jumps out of his boots. The guy was badly wound up by all of the tension.

"Of course." Eli hands the letter over to the ninja.

The ninja handles the letter carefully and slowly reads through the lines of the writing, inspecting each letter thoroughly.

The splash of blood on the letter catches his eyes and he runs his thumb over the splotch, scrutinizing the stain with care.

The others watch him with bated breath and I wait for the inevitable, sucking in my chest in anticipation.

"Forgery." Thyton states, passing the letter back to Eli.

"I never had a doubt. As if any hero of Falconreach would do such a thing," Eli says the instant the word left Thtyon's mouth, waving his hand to call off the guardians and adventurers. "Well, what are the rest of you waiting for? Your master said it was a forgery."

"How?" Yumiko and the other ninjas didn't move. Rhubarb's pirates hold their ground too in a much ruder and louder stance.

"The fox is either getting sloppy or he did not predict that the letter would fall into my hands," Thyton says with a hint of a snarl. "I recognize the ink and the blood on the letter is not human. From the texture of the stain, I can conclude that it is indeed sneevil blood. Okuchi no Okami did not even bother to use human blood or change the ink and the devil fox still manages to trick us."

The ninjas and pirates listens to Thyton's explanation but no one makes a move. Yumiko bites her lip and glowers, infuriated by the fact that I was still 'innocent.'

"Do you doubt me?" Thyton says and his ninjas reluctantly step away. Yumiko throws her arrow on the sand and starts stomping it into splinters.

None of the pirates budge.

"Rhubarb, is there something the matter?" Eli leers at the pirate. "Call your men off."

Rhubarb ignores Eli's words and the glare Thyton was shooting him. We lock eyes and though the point of a chipped and jagged sword was digging into the back of my neck, I keep my chin up and grit my teeth.

The wrinkles around his eyes crease in thought and for a moment, I wonder if he could see through my word play. But how could he know that I had Okuchi no Okami forge the letter for me just in case we lost? That's impossible unless I underestimated the sneaking ability of his pirates.

"First Mate Rhubarb?" Another pirate pushes past the others to get to Rubarb's side.

"Josephine be…Ty be a nice lass," Meringue says. "She may 'ave snuck in but she got rid of crazy ol' Blackberry. That Oku fox thing must 'ave framed 'er. That be right, Ty?"

"Uh…" The sincere way he used my name catches me by surprise. "Yeah…Of course. I didn't write any letter." I repeat, letting my voice taper off without meaning to.

Rhubarb was unaffected by Meringue's intrusion but I was sure he noticed the sudden lack of confidence in my voice.

"Alright, let the lass go." Rhubarb says and the pirates begrudgingly heed his command. "Move it."

The ninjas and pirates back away, putting some distance between them and myself. I look over my shoulder to check if Ash was still behind me and he was. It was just that I wasn't sure if he'll ever be behind me for anything again.

"Now that we've cleared everything up-" Eli claps his hands together and smiles. "That sea monster and the giant need some taking care of. May our local dragonlord please show us how it's done?"

"Nope." I reply, making a popping sound on the p.

"Excellent, those monsters will be cleared out in no time thanks to our great hero." Eli continues, ignoring my answer as the others made their shocked gasps and name-callings.

"Can't say I be surprised." Rhubarb mutters, scratching at his sandy hair.

"We should all go home. There won't be anything left for us here." I stretch my arms and yawn.

Lib, sharing my sentiment, imitates my gesture by opening his own maw and stretching his wings before laying his head to rest on the beach. Lazily, he makes splashes in the water with his tail and ignores the frantic, angry, and desperate pleas.

"Uh, Ty?" Eli slinks up next to me and whispers "You aren't making this very easy."

Clicking my tongue, I cross my arms and turn away from him, nose up.

"Ty. Just…Can you just stop acting like a baby?" Ash says, pressing his hand against the side of his head in frustration.

"I don't care if I'm a baby," I shake my head vehemently, ignoring how Ash's words grated on my ears. "I'm not helping them no matter what you say. I won't help the people who hurt Patch so badly. Not even you can make me."

"I'm your friend! Doesn't that matter to you?" He yells and I never thought that he could be this furious. I'm breaking a lot of records and rules today.

I hear him beyond the sound of the monsters shrieks and the other's accusations and begging. I peek through my eyelids at Ash and though he sounded angry, more than anything he was betrayed.

A shadow passes over us and I could vaguely hear screaming but I couldn't care less about that.

A ship had been thrown from all the way out at sea and flew over Lib's head, smashing itself into the sand. Adventurers, guardians, pirates and ninjas alike run to the wreckage to help the crew. Even Yumiko ran to their aid without a single quip, dragging her brother along behind her.

For all that I cared, Ash was the only one on the beach.

"Of course it matters to me," I tell him, hands clasped together as I approach the young knight. "It's all that matters to me. That's why I'm still here," I clasp his hand between mine and his expression twists in an effort to keep himself from being sympathetic to my quivery voice. "I'm here because I care and if I help them, what does that say about my friendship with Patch? How could I help the people who hurt him?"

"They didn't hurt Patch," Ash shakes his head. "Only a few people hurt Patch. Maybe they need a few kicks but no one else did anything wrong."

"They didn't do anything and that's just as bad. Those people would have let the jerks who hurt our friends walk free."

"You sure about that?" Ash's eyes darted to the soggy old pirate who was still sobbing on his knees by Rhubarb. He was missing his captain's hat and I suddenly noticed that I could see his ribs under the wet cloth that clung to his clammy skin.

"His people had nothing to do with his misfortune. They didn't punish him," I bite my cheek at the sight and squirm under Ash's accusation. "Lib's accident did that to him and the rest is history."

"Doesn't that mean you've done enough?"

"Patch was blinded," I dodge the question, scared of what he'd think of my actual answer. "Was I wrong to get him some justice?"

"All of this…" Ash peers over his shoulder at the ruined ship and at the nearby ruined homes. "All of this is wrong."

With that, he pulls his hand out of my grip and runs to help the others.

I watch him go and Eli's voice trying to reason with me becomes a dull hum along with the rest of the sounds in the world.

"Ty! Listen to me!" Eli grabs my shoulder and turns me around. "You're angry, I can see that but being a hero means we save everyone no matter what. Not just friends."

"Who are you calling a hero?" I frown at the ugly word even though my fingers itched to move. "I'm just a normal person trying to fix a problem. This isn't my responsibility. I had nothing to…" I trail off, knowing that what I was going to say was a lie.

Eli lets go of my shoulders and begins to pace, muttering to himself.

"I knew we should have just told her from the beginning!" Eli says, clasping his hands behind his back as Thyton and Rhubarb watched on. "Ty, that amulet around your neck means that you are a dragonlord. The dragon that's lying on this beach is the dragon that will save this world. You are the hero who will save us," Eli stops pacing and puts weight on each word. "This is your responsibility."

"What are you talking about?"

"Lady Celestia is here. She will tell you," Eli assures me. "But only if you get on the dragon and save the island." He points to Lib like a crossed father telling their child to go to their room.

"I have no idea what any of the stuff you just said means and I am not going to help them!" I cross my arms and look down at my boots.

I could hear the others scrambling to save the injured crew inside the ship. There was screaming and crying and an orchestra of other useless noise that didn't bother me in the least.

It didn't bother me in the least.

I sit myself down on the sand, refusing to hear anymore.

"I'm going to miss this place," Meringue says wistfully, peering over in the direction of Osprey. The young pirate was too injured to rush to the ship's aid so he had stayed. "I never be out to sea far."

I press my lips together and ran my hand over my face. Why was I feeling so drained when just before I had been spitting fire at these monsters?

"Captain, where should we be going?" Meringue asks the first-mate who had taken to silently watching me.

Sure, I like Meringue and I owe more than my life to Rhubarb but I just can't!

"I can't." The taste of iron floods my mouth and I realize that I had bitten down on my cheek too hard again. I hide my mouth behind my hand and try to pretend that nothing existed.

"You want to fight," Thyton was standing behind me and looking down on me with gleaming red eyes. Dumb ninja sneaking techniques. "It is no longer your indignation for your friend that holds you back. I see this poor act on my younger ninjas and on Hideyoshi more than any other. Your foolish injured pride will be the end of us."

"Shut your mouth!" I stand bolt upright and swing a fist at the helmeted ninja, not caring if people were watching me throw a fit.

Thyton catches my fist with ease and the tone of his voice becomes scathing.

"You refuse to admit that you were wrong."

"Fuck you! Just fuck you and the rest of this fucking island!" I couldn't wrench my fist out from Thyton's hand so I take to kicking him in the shins instead. My kicks were hard and they dented his shin guards, hurting him, but he did not budge or falter. He just kept watching me squirm and he did not give me the pleasure of getting him angry.

"Oi! Stop!" Meringue hobbles over to us and I expected him to pull me away but he grabs Thyton's wrist instead. "Let the lass go!"

That stops my kicking and Thyton's eyes widen.

"Pirate or not, you two are on good terms and he wishes to defend you yet you still refuse him aid?" The ninja says with amazement.

"He's no friend of mine!" I protest, pulling my leg back to kick the idiotic ninja again.

"I'm not?" Meringue asks, making my chest ache.

He struck me speechless and I end up just kicking the sand.

"Why can't you act like a normal ruthless blood thirsty child-eating asses like normal pirates!" I cast my gaze back down again and that was when Thyton releases my fist. It falls useless at my side and Meringue touches my shoulder.

"Cause I'm not. I be Meringue, that be Chiffon-" Meringue glances at the cowardly pirate, chiffon I suppose, and then to the octopus smashing another ship into smithereens. "-and none o' us are Blackberry. What ye just described be Blackberry. I never seen ol' Blackberry eat a baby but I wouldn't be puttin' it past 'im."

"Ty."

Ash had come back already and he had brought people with him.

He stands beside Patch, who was slightly cut and limping but otherwise fine, and supporting his weight was Hideyoshi.

"Now Ty, just wait a second!" Ash tries to stop me as I walk towards the stone faced ninja. Seeing that I was coming to him with white-knuckled fists and a stoic expression that sang of murder, he pushes the pirate on to Ash just as I punch his face in.

My knuckles dig into his skin and his nose shatter as it bends to the left in a way that should have broken the laws of physics. Briefly, just as Patch and Ash gasp in shock, I wonder if the bones in his nose were now scattered all over his beaten face under that splotchy skin.

I pull back my gloved fist to swing at him again but Patch and Ash catch my wrist, both struggling with all their might to hold me back.

"It's…" Hideyoshi gags, holding his nose. "It's fine. If you…" He stops, trying not to sound like he was in pain. "If you want another, do it." With much effort, Hideyoshi straightens his back and clasps his hands in front of his stomach, steeling himself for another blow as he looks straight into my eyes.

No wonder I mistook him for Yumiko's brother. Their eyes are exactly alike which means that they're just like mine.

Except right now, his eyes were shining and admirable. They stare resolutely ahead without falter.

"What are you doing here?" I scowl, lowering my hand. Ash and Patch hold on to my arm just in case.

"I went wit' the others to help find ye an' ended up on the same ship as our lad 'ere when that beast burst from the wa'es. The lad was 'elping me, lass. Why did ye hit 'im?" Patch says, moving in front of me to shield the ninja that blinded him.

But wait a moment…

"Patch? You can see?" I exclaim, reaching up to touch his scraggly lovable face. I raise my pointer finger in front of his eyes and move my hand left and right slowly. The eye that wasn't under his eye patch follows my hand. "Oh gods, you can see! This is…This is amazing!"

"Magic be a gift to us all, me lass." the pirate laughs and slaps my shoulder.

"Don't you see, Ty?" Ash says. "Everything is fine. Patch's eyes are back to normal. There wasn't any use in worrying about it in the first place."

"So you're all good now?" I ask Patch, holding his shoulder to keep myself steady. "You can still walk around and you can continue with your work?"

"O'course, me lass. The spell worked an' they be good as new," Patch lifts his eye-patch to show off his other eye. "I be all better. But lass, ye didn't need to 'urt that guppy. We talked an' it be all a misunderstandin'."

"But I have to." I frown at the notion, tilting my head to the side in confusion.

"But he's fine!" Ash says, tugging on my arm. "You're going to let the island get destroyed because you wanted to get back at what they did to Patch, didn't you? It's done now. Patch is fine."

"That's not the point!" I tear my arm out of Ash's hands and he stumbles back. I hesitate, afraid that I may have hurt Ash but then the anger returned full force.

Those ninjas and that pirate forced me into this! If they hadn't hurt poor Patch in the first place, no one would have seen me like this.

I push past Patch and grab the ninja by the collar, about to punch him again. Hideyoshi does nothing to stop me.

"Lass. This isn't right!" Patch yells.

"And what he did was?" I say through my clenched and cracking teeth. "If this world had no magic, Patch would have been blind forever. And even though he's fine now, you can't just let this bastard off! Never. If no one does anything, he'll walk and be free to do the same to another poor sap. No one ever does anything about people like him! That isn't right! I have to. I have the power and means to protect you now and I couldn't use it!"

"Ty, what are you even talking about? Is this about Patch or about you?" Ash says, prepared to pin me down himself if he had to.

"It's about both of us."

"You're being selfish!"

"That's fine." Hideyoshi and I say at the same time, startling me. I gaze at the bruising ninja, trying to figure out what in the world he was thinking.

"She said it. This is my fault." Hideyoshi admits as the rest of the island shook in its death throes from the giant's rage. "I suggested the attack first and I wrongly accused you of plotting against our village. It was no fault of the others. This is all on me," The ninja winces, unable to hide his pain. "If you are not yet satisfied then do as you will with me. You have exacted enough revenge on the others."

"Where did all of this come from?" I scoff at the ninja's poor apology. "You're just a stuck up asshole who couldn't even recognize the girl that you liked. If that was an attempt at humility, it was poor like the rest of your skills. You're just saying this to save your own hide."

"But you like hitting me. If it makes you feel better and if it gets you to save my island, I will let you do anything."

"Stop acting like you're a saint!"

"Take me then!" Cold wrinkled and wet fingers grasp my ankles. Chiffon was back to groveling for my mercy and geez, that line of thought makes me sick. "I be the one who tried to kill ye. I be old and I've 'ad enough. I 'ave no ship, lost me crew an' I be too old fer anymore. Finish it."

I shake him off my foot and shove Hideyoshi away. I back away from them and almost bump into Meringue.

"You are a hero, Ty?" Meringue says. "You were a good lass to me," he says, touching the bandages on his arms. "You not be a bully."

"I…I…" They were all watching me.

Rhubarb and Thyton stand together, awaiting the fate of their homes as did Meringue who had no doubts that I was an actual hero. Eli stands with them as well but he was biting on his knuckle, worried as fuck.

Ash wasn't looking. Maybe he couldn't bring himself to.

Hideyoshi and Chiffon were both depressing sights being all soaked and broken like abused ragdolls. Honestly? I don't feel bad about hurting them. They tried to kill us and hurt my friends in the process.

But maybe somewhere along the way, I crossed a line. I guess I didn't have to take it out on everyone on the island.

And Patch, the one who I had done all of this for in the first place, glances at the two guiltily. The last thing I want is for him to blame himself.

I close my eyes and barge past Rhubarb and Thyton to get as close to the water as I could. I kick and scream at the lapping waves until my throat became hoarse and my legs heavy. Then I keep screaming at how wrong everything I did went.

No one came to stop me and I can only assume that they were all taken aback or even pitied my display. When I was about to fall over and cry, I hold back the frustrated tears and drag myself back to the others.

All of them kept their reactions masked. Only Chiffon's jaw was hanging open and the terror in his bloodshot eyes were unmistakable.

"Lib," I call the young dragon and he lifts his head. He had listened to the exchange and he must have reached the same decision as I had. "We're heading out."

Rhubarb and Thyton visibly relaxed and Eli almost topples in relief.

"I not be knowing what to say." Meringue comes over to grasp my shoulder. Perhaps it was a gesture of thanks.

"Don't say anything yet. I haven't won," I say before shooting a glare at Hideyoshi and Chiffon.

The pirate was crying out of pure joy and the ninja was slightly less unaffected, judging by his tilting back and forth on his feet. He'll let himself pass out from the pain soon. Hopefully, I gave this ass a concussion to remember me by.

"I'm not doing this because I've forgiven you. I'm doing this because I owe Rhubarb, Meringue is my friend and those freaks are going to be trouble for me in the long run anyway." I turn back towards Lib and was promptly tackled to the ground by a mess of limbs and sickly sweet and flowery smells.

"Seeing as the onibaba isn't going to help us," Yumiko grabs at the dragon amulet around my neck. "I'll take the reins and save the day."

Before I could turn that perfect smile into swiss cheese, though she'll probably turn it into a kawaii quirk, Thyton scoops her up and plops her butt down on the sand.

"There will be no need for that. The hero has agreed to help," Thyton pats the ninja's befuddled head. "I think you have a few items that belong to her."

"Nuh uh, not giving back anything to a kidnapper thief." She sniffs and I was this close to becoming a kidnapper thief brutal murderer.

"Yumiko," Hideyoshi walks over to the girl and reaches under the back of her black top. She squeaks and jumps to stop him but the ninja had already taken my belt and sword from her. "Are you going to be a baka head too?"

"Yours," Hideyoshi tosses the belt and the bag and sword attached to it on to my lap. Seeing this, Yumiko stomps off and I hoped that would be the last I ever saw of her. "If you can, don't be too hard on her. We've…all gone through that phase."

"Are you out of it yet?" I sneer and the broken-faced ninja bites down on his bruised lip, flinching when it stings him.

"No more dallying," Eli grabs me by my cape and hauls me up. "I don't know what they are or where they come from but we can't let them keep going berserk like this."

"Fine, I'll reel in your fish food and pacify your giant." I brush the sand off of my armor as best as I could before touching Lib's muscular arm.

"When you get back…" Ash touches my arm, stopping me for the moment. "I want to talk to you. Both of us need to have a real talk with you." He says and Patch, deciding that a small smile spoke more than actual words, nods.

"I'll talk," I say before swallowing back the nervousness that the request caused to bubble in my stomach. "Whatever you ask, I'll tell you the truth."

"Sorry to interrupt but there's one last thing I want to ask," Eli walks up to us, concerned. "You told me you had something to do with those monsters. And the Wind Orb. Where's the Wind Orb? Didn't you get it? What happened to it?"

"Eli, sir. That was three questions." I say, reminded of the talking magical crystal ball.

"Last time we saw it…"Ash begins, looking up to Lib as he cocked his head in confusion. "Wasn't it in Lib's mouth?"

A hole opens at our feet just then and a pillar of wind bursts out from the sand. The Wind Orb shoots out of the hole and uppercuts Ash into unconsciousness.

So Tomoe was right about a nice hit to the jaw knocking someone out.

Ash falls back and Eli catches him before he does any more damage to himself and the others quickly rush forward to the Orb.

_Blublublub, sorry. This is private._

A strong gust of wind emanating from the Orb blows everyone but Ash, Eli and I away, rolling them down the beach.

"That's the Orb!" Eli exclaimed, awestruck by the glowing crystal. The wind and sand was swirling all around us and I could barely hear Eli. "But it can speak? I've never heard stories of the Orbs being able to speak."

_Are you done talking? Can we play now? Bububububu. It's been so long since I've played. You and your vassal, yes? A little game between us? Fun fun fun. Meet me out with my toys. Just like old times._

With that, the Wind Orb rises over Lib and zooms inland towards Honda.

Eli and I stare at each other, both of us wondering the same thing.

"Does it know you?" Eli furrows his brow and scrutinizes me carefully.

"Don't ask me. I only just heard of all of this Orb stuff," I bit my cheek nervously. "Mama is…Lady Celestia is here isn't she? Please inform my lady of the whereabouts of the Orb. And another thing…" I trail off, glancing up at the rapidly darkening sky. "I think you should tell everyone to retreat. I don't like how the wind is feeling right now."

Eli nods in understanding and quickly drags Ash away with him towards the ruined ship.

"No time to waste," I clasp my belt around my waist before hopping on Lib's lowered head, briefly looking back to check if Ash and Eli were still okay. Lib raises his head and I slide down his neck. It didn't seem to hurt Lib. He only grunts impatiently, puffs of frost escaping from his nostrils.

"Drakath? You still up there?" I called up to the disgruntled and shivering boy huddling on Lib's back.

"Keep it down, peasant!" He said to me through clenched teeth, periodically glancing down at the beach. He was hugging his shoulders and kept his jaw locked so his teeth wouldn't chatter.

"They're too distracted right now to notice. You can jump off and run if you like," I look back to check if anyone was still hanging around. "Go ahead. I won't stop you."

"And what if when I have my back turned, you have your beast kill me?" Drakath growled but there was no conviction behind his words. It sounds like he was making up excuses for himself.

"You and I both know that I would have done that a long time ago if I didn't like you." I sigh, sitting cross-legged in front of him closer to Lib's neck. The motion makes Drakath frown, like he thought I wasn't taking him seriously enough. "In fact, I would have probably gotten more time to stall if I yelled 'look, there's the jerk who stole the Wind Orb. He did it!' instead of dealing with that shit. We went over this. I do like you."

"You're a liar," Drakath snaps, wiping the sea water dripping down from his brow. "Either that or you are a fool."

"Have I wrapped you up and sent you to my grace, King Alteon?" I ask and the mere mention of that made him pale but interestingly enough, he keeps his mouth shut. "I am his knight after all. I could get awfully close to him if I drag you over there kicking and screaming. Maybe they'll even rub your nose in the seat of Alteon's throne before they throw you on the chopping block. I'd bet you'd love that." I continue and Drakath grinds his teeth together, fear and anger bubbling beneath his carefully made stern façade.

"But you wouldn't." Drakath snaps, reassuring himself.

"And why is that?"

"Because…Because you like me?" Drakath manages to get those words out and he still looks like he didn't quite believe it.

"There. Are we clear now?"

"That doesn't make any sense!" Drakath says but I already turned my back on him.

"I won't attack you," I say, spreading my hands out on Lib's scaled skin. "Not only do I not want to but I have more important things to worry about. I'm in a buttload of trouble if you didn't hear the conversation down there and I need to have a word with a certain person…object. Whatever that was. I don't have any time for you right now. Go. Report to your new master." I snap at him, hoping that the last words bit into his skin.

If I know him well, and I think I do, he'll be too afraid to hang around and too confused to attack me.

I wait a few seconds before hearing him shuffle around. The noise stops and now he's slipped off to hide.

"Lib, you ready to go?" I call to the dragon as I try to formulate a quick plan. It should be easy since Lib can fly. Even with the Wind Orb backing those monsters up, I think we can take it. I don't think the aerodynamics of an octopus or a pudgy giant are going to make them a threat in the air.

"We should take care of them separately. Or if we can, we should grab the Wind Orb and deal with whatever is making them act like this," I squint at the rampaging giant from afar. It was hard to tell but it was moving towards the village faster. The defenders must have retreated.

"That way, it might just stop those two-"

"I knew it!" Two arms reach around my waist and Drakath hugs himself to my back. "You were just trying to get rid of me so you would get the Orb all to yourself. All of that was just to confuse me. Well too bad, you didn't fool me."

"What are you doing?" I try to wriggle out of his hold but Drakath had miraculously found some backbone and strength in the past five seconds.

"That Wind Orb is mine," Drakath leans his head over my shoulder and wraps his fingers around my neck in what I think was supposed to come across as a threatening gesture. The way his hands shook made it look like he was frightened of touching me. "I'm not letting you take it."

"And what makes you think I won't just throw you off instead?" I grip the hilt of my sword in warning.

"Because." He answers simply.

"Because what?" I demand, furrowing my brow. "You want me to do something for you?" I ask, expecting him to say that he was going to have me get the Orb for him or else. That would guarantee him flying off of Lib in a smooth arc.

"…Because."

"Because what?" I repeat, trying to turn to look back at him but Lib shifts his weight and the idiot kingling gasps, releasing my neck and hugs himself against my back to keep steady.

"Because you're both idiots," Lib growls and rises to his feet. "Throw him off or hug it out, I don't care anymore. We've wasted enough time," Lib snarls, bunching his muscles up and folding his wings back. "We're going. Now."

"What did he say?" Drakath asks, only hearing exasperated squawks.

"If you want to stick around, hold on tight." I sigh at his high pitched squeak before Lib shoots off in a gallop towards the giant, roaring in excitement. We almost fly right off his back but I manage to dig my fingers into Lib's skin and stay on.

Drakath squeezes my waist hard enough to start crushing my hips and I struggle to hold on to Lib as he bounds through the trees. He rips up the ground with his massive talons as he rushes towards Honda.

I could see the shape of the colourful giant getting bigger and when he turned, revealing both of his faces, I realize something strange.

We were still on the ground.

"Why aren't you flying?" I shout over the swirling winds gathering around the giant. The green face on its stomach was opening its mouth and green ooze drips from its lips.

"Your dragon can't fly?" Drakath says, desperately trying to keep his voice from rising eight octaves out of fright. It wasn't working and I wince at the shrill sound.

"Lib? There something you should tell me before we get turned into a chunky smear?" I say, rubbing my dry wind battered eyes. I look back over to where Honda stood and he was gone.

Lib slid to a stop, crushing a good portion of the bamboo thicket under his claws.

"He vanished into thin air?" Drakath exclaims, leaning against me as he squinted at where Honda used to be.

Lib throat rumbles and he sniffs the eerily still air.

"Lib. Fly. Get up in the air now!" I shout, desperately searching for the lost giant. "We'll be safer if we fly."

"Would you shut up about flying for a moment, Butterbrain?" Lib turns his head back and hisses. "I can win without flying!"

"What's wrong with your beast?" Drakath asks and Lib was about to tell him off but a spiked fist slams into his nose.

Lib's head reels back and he almost does a complete summersault. Drakath and I hold on to Lib's back for dear life just before another fist rams itself into Lib's ribs.

The blow draws blood and Lib roars in rage and pain. Lib struggles to stand back up as the giant looms over us in a cloud of golden mist that had appeared out of nowhere. It pulls its gold fist back to throw another punch.

"Lib!" I scream as the spiked ball flies towards us.

Snarling, Lib breathes a gust of icy air at the giant and the giant's meaty arm slows to a stop. Its muscles were frosted over and a thick layer of ice was running up its arm towards the rest of its body.

"Keep it up," I yell to Lib as he rights himself. The giant struggles to crack the ice and get out of the way but no matter what it did, the cracks keep icing over.

The ice creeps over Honda's shoulders and just as Lib's breath runs out, the demonic green face on the giant's belly opens its fanged jaws.

"Grab it!" Drakath yells, spotting the Wind Orb floating inside the green face's mouth.

Lib was sucking in another breath and this time, flames flicker behind his teeth.

Then the smell hit us. A rancid and syrupy stench creeps out from the giant's second face and Lib didn't need a warning.

He leaps away just in time to dodge a cloud of green gas only to have the wind change course and blow it right into us.

Feeling the shift in the air, I throw my cape over Drakath and I to shield ourselves from the thick green cloud.

"Hold your breath!" I say to Drakath, even though I my gloved hand had already flown up to cover his mouth and nose. He grabs my wrist in surprise but when my words reach him, his cheeks redden and he looks like he was about to get sick.

At first, I thought it was because of the poisonous gas but then the cut on the back of his hand starts to sizzle and I feel the wound on my cheek burning painfully.

Lib roars but it was crackly and close to a wail. His body shakes and I feel him stumble.

"Lib? Lib!" I shout, smelling burning flesh.

I peek out of my cape and the giant slams both of his fists down on Lib's back. Lib shrieks in pain and it almost launches Drakath and I off of the dragon.

Lib clamps down on the giant's arm, sinking his teeth into the bone and locks his jaw. The giant thrashes its arm and smashes its free fist over and over on Lib's neck but the dragon doesn't buckle.

"Lib!" I shout again, realizing how useless I was. Lib was being battered into a pulp and his wounds were festering with green ooze. Honda's spikes made puncture wounds in Lib's muscles and I couldn't believe the dragon was still standing with them.

The giant was already preparing another breath of poisonous gas when an idea struck me.

"Stun him! Use energy!" I shout.

Lib didn't hear me. His eyes were squeezed shut and his jaws were still locked into place. I was getting worried that his teeth might have gotten stuck and that the blows to his side were scrambling his thoughts.

Then Lib's joints began to give and I start to feel faint myself. I look down to my hands, trying to think of something to do.

The only thing I had that was semi-useful was my sword and it might as well have been a twig up against the giant. I grasp the hilt and look back up at Lib. Blood was dripping through his teeth and his neck was going limp. Soon, the giant will snap it in half.

"Fuck!" I curse at myself. I stand, unsheathing my sword, preparing to run up Lib's neck and jump on to the giant myself.

Yeah, it's a stupid idea but there was nothing else I could do.

I spring forward and a hand reaches out, grabs my ankle and makes me fall on my stomach. I almost break my nose when my face meets with Lib's navy blue scales.

"No you aren't!" Drakath yells, pinning me down as he wrestles my sword out of his grip. "I'm not letting you steal it!"

He was going to kill me  _now?_ What is he thinking?

He raises the blade above my head and plunges it down towards my neck.

It stabs through Lib's scales right next to my cheek. For a moment, I was shocked at how my sword could pierce through dragon hide. Then I was outraged. He was hurting Lib!

But then Lib's eyes fly open and he breaths.

Either it was the sting that had roused him or it was the fact that Drakath did it made him come back to his senses. He sends a jolt of energy up the giant's arm. The smell of burning flesh reaches my nose and as the giant convulsed wildly, Lib releases the giant's arm and lunges for his head.

Lib's jaws close around the giant's main head and Lib sends another jolt of energy coursing through the giant's body to keep him from lashing back.

"Keep it up!" I call to Lib before turning my attention to the Orb floating inside the giant's demonic mouth.

The electric shocks were keeping it from spewing its noxious gas at us but it also kept me from jumping in and grabbing the Orb. I'd get electrocuted too.

"You have a plan?" I ask Drakath, watching Lib struggle to keep upright. "Cause we're sorta stuck if Lib can't move and we can't touch the giant."

"You mean you don't have a plan?" Drakath asks, incredulous and somewhat horrified by the revelation. "But you always have a plan!"

"What makes you think that?" I laugh dryly, unable to keep my shoulders from shaking.

"You always win somehow," Drakath pulls me up on my knees to face him. "Do something!"

"You know what I was supposed to be here for? A vacation!" I shove him off of me and watch him tumble on to his side. "I didn't ask for this bullshit! I wasn't supposed to do anything here," I wave my arm at Lib as he yanks at the giant's head. "When I figure out how to get off this fucking island, I'm never coming back. It can rot to shit! I've had enough!" I shout and my voice echoes across the still island.

_Why, you aren't acting yourself at all._

I feel a weight fall on my shoulder and I jump away from fright.

_Jumpy jumpy. Jumpy jumpy jumpy!_

The Orb bobs up and down like an overexcited toddler on a sugar high as Drakath and I watch it, periodically glancing at each other.

We lunge for the Orb at the same time, crashing our heads into each other and falling into a heap below the laughing Orb.

_Hmmm, you're crabby today. Like a blue and red crab. I like crabs. I haven't seen one in ages. You said you wanted to get off this island? Let's go see the crabbies!_

Drakath and I look up at the Orb in horror as the wind began to rise.

"No!" We both yell desperately at the spinning golden ball.

Lib, the giant and the puny little ants trapped on Lib's back shoot straight up into the stormy sky inside of a gold tornado.

Pinned on my stomach and with my face smushed in Lib's scales, I was blind and becoming deaf from the high screeching of the wind. The vague feeling of us rolling sideways and then upside down sends me into a panicked frenzy and I could only scream into Lib's back.

Cold water splashes on my back and I give up; I'm dead. I hope my family picks up our bloated corpses and buries them somewhere nice.

The image of an endless grassy and flowery field crosses my mind just as we take the plunge and sink. The shock of the cold water makes me gasp, allowing sea water to surge into my lungs.

I shriek so hard that my already blurry vision goes almost pure white with terror but the sound is swallowed by the churning water. I squeeze my eyes shut and thrash against Lib as we fall backwards away from the light. There was no way to get back up with the giant on top of Lib. Since it was impossible to drown now, we'll either get crushed by the water pressure of the giant will finish us off.

The giant was still going; he was smashing his spiked fists relentlessly into Lib. A red haze begins to muddy the water and Lib wasn't fighting back anymore.

Then Drakath grabs my shoulder and turns me around to face him. His cheeks were puffed up and he was having trouble keeping it that way. Either he forgot about the water breathing potions or he wasn't paying attention when we had brought the topic up but that was hardly a worry at the moment.

He points urgently down behind us and when I turn around, I think I pissed myself and threw up in my mouth all at the same time.

A mass of orange tentacles was practically flying right towards Lib. It's cruel beak and cloudy blue eyes were set on us. I could recognize Blackberry's vengeful gaze and it threatened to rip me inside out.

He was my worst nightmare grown tenfold and it was coming back to haul me down and finish the job.

Red and blue lights flicker in my vision and as a deeper darkness invades my mind, the ringing in my ears becomes dull and I drift off.

I was back at the beach, crying for someone help me as those clammy tendrils dragged me down. It towed me through the water like I was made of nothing but air. My eyes, nose and throat are burning as my joints were stretched to the point of breaking.

The monster's tight hold bites into my ankle and its strange gurgled babblings were echoing deafeningly against the inner walls of my skull. Or maybe I was the one making the sounds; my own death rattle was driving me insane.

And then it was gone.

The burning sensation and the shooting pains were swept away and the eerie noises were replaced with the almost cheerful sound of water and bubbles rushing past my ears.

I was the one swimming down out of my own will. It was still dark but I knew where I was going. In fact, the darkness seemed to hug and comfort me. It was warm.

I move my muscles in rhythm and cut through the strong currents. I feel my arms and legs move but I couldn't see them or feel them cut through the water. I was swaying from side to side, trying to reach out to…

I was reaching out to-

_The more tears you shed, the stronger you become._

My eyes blink open at the familiar and comforting voice and just like in that faint dream, Lib was shooting through the water like a hawk slicing through the air.

Lib, leaving the giant behind trapped inside a sphere of ice, swims gracefully up towards the surface only to swerve back down to face the orange tentacle monster head on.

Oddly, I wasn't that surprised. In fact, an odd calmness had overtaken me and I still kind of feel like going back to sleep. The dragon amulet bumps against my neck and it feels hot against my skin.

How was I even holding on to Lib?

Nails dig insistently into the back of my bare hand and my limp fingers were being squished together by a larger and rougher hand.

Drakath had me in his grip and I had to make sure I wasn't still in a dream.

This shouldn't be happening. He should be half dead if he was touching my ungloved hand. Instead, he was wide awake, keeping his balance on Libérta and he was…keeping me from being swept away?

What was this guy's game?

His eyes pierced into mine; they were begging me to wake up. He wouldn't be able to hold on much longer.

It could have been easy. Just let me go and let the sea do the dirty work. I had a reason to keep him around; he didn't have a good reason to keep me so what does he want?

But that hardly matters right now, doesn't it?

Reinvigorated, I clutch his hand tightly with both of mine and pull myself. With some of his help, I climbed my way back on Lib's back and crouch to keep the water resistance to a minimum.

Even with my head and my strength back, I couldn't do a thing right now. It was all up to Lib and his sudden burst of strength.

As we cling to Lib's back, the dragon flits through the water like a dolphin, making impossibly fast and sharp turns as he chased the giant bumbling squid.

The Wind Orb or whatever was controlling it had made a huge mistake. It had dropped us here, hoping to disorient us but the opposite happened. Up above, the wind was blustering and kicking up a raging storm but down here in the water, it couldn't touch us.

Even if the Orb could, I doubt that even the embodiment of the wind could catch Lib the way he was swimming now.

The orange squid, despite having a body built for ruling the ocean, couldn't shake Lib off of its trail no matter what it tried.

The beast would shoot off clouds of ink to create a distraction but Lib was too close for it to matter. The dragon would pierce through the ink cloud like an arrow and get even closer to sinking his teeth in the beast's soft and fleshy tendrils.

We zipped and dipped and spun as Lib sped through the water. It was like he was enjoying himself and stretching the chase for as long as he could before the squid gets tired.

At the speed we were going, I was afraid that if I look back to see where we were, my head would snap off. Instead, I turned and check on Drakath.

The idiot was going to pass out from holding his breath. He was clinging to Lib for dear life as his face went blue. Without thinking, I reach over with my ungloved hand and squish the air out of his cheeks.

My touch startles him and he gasps, bubbles surging out of his nose and mouth as he catches my wrist.

We must have had the dumbest expressions on our face; his because he had just learned that he could breathe under water and mine because I still couldn't believe my touch didn't hurt him. He should be in a coma by now like what happened with Tanisha before the war with Xan.

Drakath didn't look undead. I could feel the faint warmth in his hand even when we were submerged in the cool water. And his eyes were wide, alive and terrified.

I don't understand this at all.

Lib comes to a stop, having finally caught the orange beast in his rows of spear-like teeth. Its screeching mad my bones rattle and the water did nothing to muffle the sound.

In an act of desperation, the beast shoots a high velocity shot of ink directly at Lib and it hits the dragon's belly hard enough to thrust him backwards. We were lost in a thick fog of inky blackness and I had to hold my breath to keep the sticky goop from getting into my lungs.

Lib's side bumps against something hard but there was too much ink to see what it was though I had a feeling it wouldn't be a problem.

Feeling the vibrations of a growl from Lib's body, I latch on to him even tighter, pinching bunches of his skin in my hands.

Lib spins, lashing his tail and slams it against the frozen giant. The ball of solid ice and muscle shoots towards the charging sea monster.

Thanks to its own ink spray, it couldn't see the ice ball coming and rams into the frozen giant head on. Even with water filling my ears, I could hear them smash together and the screech of pain the monster made as it and the giant flew towards the surface.

With a flick of his tail, Lib catches up to them and swims right behind the two titans.

The Wind Orb appears, hovering right over its monsters as they emerge. It realizes its chance and catches its monsters, ready to hurl them and Lib back to land where it could throw us around.

But by then, it was already too late.

The Wind Orb catches the frozen giant and the battered giant squid but Lib launching out of the water in a column of white and foamy water catches it completely off guard. It didn't expect such a klutz on solid ground to be that fast in the water.

As Lib snaps the Orb up in his jaws, I could hear its wispy echoing lament.

_Oopsies. Going swimming with you three was a bad baaad idea. But I loved the sea. You know me, I loved the se-_

Its words were cut off when Lib swallows the Orb whole. That was one way of stopping it.

The winds abruptly stop and the three colossal beasts plunge back into the sea. This time, Lib decided to get straight to the point.

The orange tentacled monster falls right on to Lib's jaws and the dragon wastes no time tearing the thing to bits and pieces. Blackberry didn't even have time to fight back; it was all over in three of my blinks.

The pieces of his ripped up corpse sinks into the darkness of the deep sea, soon to become fish food.

So much for becoming a god.

With him gone, that leaves Honda and he was already frozen solid.

The ice ball was bobbing uselessly on the rippling surface and Lib swims up right beside it. Now that our heads were finally back above water, Drakath and I cough up buckets of it out of our lungs as Lib prods the frozen giant with his nose.

"Crushed ice for lemonade with grandma." Lib rumbles as his tail swishes from side to side.

"That's disgusting." I sputter, rubbing the salty water out of my reddened eyes. Lady Celestia wouldn't know what to do with it. "It'll be a bloody mess."

"Auntie'll figure out how to make it tasty." Lib nods, excited by the prospect of chunky 'strawberry' lemonade made by good ol auntie Alison.

I almost agreed. Almost.

"The ninjas…I think they'll want their guardian back. If we kill him, I don't think they'll be able to manage." I sigh heavily as Drakath lay down on his side, exhausted and disoriented by the wild ride.

Maybe I should start up a little business since big bro Eric's here. "Lib's Super Duper Ultra Water Coaster." You'll go so fast, the sea salt's going to shoot up your nose and out the back of your head. For all children, ages annoying and up.

"Can I at least bite his stupid hands off," Lib snorts at the giant's spiked fists. Lib scratches his aching neck, irritated. "He doesn't need them. He can just burp on his enemies and everyone'll run. Like how they run when you burp at dinner."

"Shut the fuck up," I laugh and cough, feeling a bit lighter. At least this went well. "Just push it back to the beach. It might help us fix things up. Just give me a moment to plan first."

"Fine." Lib shoves the iced giant lightly and he slowly begins to drift back to Sho Nuff.

"Wind Orb," Drakath pants, clutching his neck. "Your dragon-" He hacks and coughs. "Your stupid dragon ate it. How am I supposed to bring it back now?"

"Oh, right. Lib? How do you feel?" I pat the dragon and he hums thoughtfully. "Is it doing anything? Do you feel like passing gas or something?"

"No," Lib snorts and shakes his head. "I can feel it in my stomach but I don't think it's…it's…" Lib's jaws fly open and a stiff gust of wind pours out, creating a deep fissure in the surface of the water before he forced his mouth shut.

Drakath and I watch, speechless and minds coming up blank. Without noticing, my bare hand reaches towards the stunned boy. He grabs my wrist and holds on tight, bracing himself for what was coming.

"Drat." Lib turns his head back to face us and a whole fucking tornado jets out of his throat as he roars along with the wind. It hits the water and launches us up and back towards the island in a clean arc.

Sunshine glints off of Lib's rapidly changing scales and if you were half-blind and mostly deaf, you might have mistaken us for a rainbow.

Lib spreads his wings, struggling to slow us down but wind was still blowing out of his maw uncontrollably. There was no stopping us.

A thousand tons of dragon meat hits the sandy beach and hopefully no one was around cause that wasn't the end. Lib had landed on his feet but the stream of air hadn't stopped. We go skidding across the island, shredding up the last of its foliage.

From afar, we must have looked gut-bustingly hilarious. Lib was going "BLAAAAAARG" uncontrollably as a hurricane gushes out of his mouth. The only way it could have been funnier was if we were rolling and bouncing around like a jet-powered football. But that would mean that Drakath and I would turn into splats on the ground. It was still funny but only to psychos so at least you'll know which of your friends are serial killers.

And what do you know; Lady Luck was a serial killer psycho who decided that Lib should trip up his footing and spin spin spin!

Lib's neck snaps back and he tips over on his side. Drakath and I, still holding on to each other, are lobbed off of Lib's back and across the tops of ruined tropical trees and displaced bamboo shoots.

Lib rolls and bounces towards us, steadily gaining on our tiny and fragile bodies. I couldn't hear myself screaming over Drakath's ear drum shattering screeching.

Just when I thought 'yup, now we're going to die,' the Orb shoots out of Lib's mouth as his neck snaps back. With the wind gone, his claws find the ground and he rakes them across the trees to slow down. It grounds him but he was still going too fast.

I look over at Drakath as he flails and he looks back just as his body smashes against a particularly tall palm tree. Drakath's fingers slip off of mine and I zoom ahead and away from him.

I was going to shout for him but my leg clips on an uprooted bamboo stalk and I flip through the greenery, stopping when my back smacks against a half broken tree. Air and specks of blood fly out of my mouth and as I slide down the rough back upside down, I thought to myself "I'm going to kill every single coconut I don't care."

Insane thoughts, bad grammar and most likely broken everything aside, when the top of my head touches the ground, I feel my tongue fall on to the roof of my mouth.

"Athh least I still ha-ave my tangue." I gargle before falling on my stomach. In the background, the rumbling of Lib destroying the island fades. The dragon amulet's red light blinks and flickers before returning to its steady glow.

Lib took a thrashing but he'll be fine.

I press my hands against the soft soil and push myself up. My elbows give the moment I put a smidge of pressure on my palms.

I'm beat. I'm not going to be moving any time soon.

And with how quiet and serene the rain forest had become, just lying here didn't seem all that bad. The wind had slowed to a gentle breath brushing through the leaves and the sound of splashing waves wasn't that far off. The ground was warm and the soft soil could pass for a cushiony bed. Anything could pass for a cushiony bed at this point.

"Just for a little while." I breathe, eyelids falling slowly like a thick curtain at the end of a long play; a very long and tedious ten act play.

*Thump*

_Yoho. How are you?_

The Wind Orb, through sheer luck or its own annoying perseverance, had fallen and bounced right next to my nose.

"Fuck…Go bother someone else. I don't want to play." I groan, exhausted and incoherent.

_Uh-uh, can't play anymore. You win again. But I was close! You saw, right? All of you saw. I almost beat Holly._

"What are you going on about?" I wrinkle my brow and squint my dry eyes at the much too bright light of the orb.

_It's fine. I had fun but I'm all out of power. Gotta go back to sleep now. I might not get to play with you again. Holly won't let any of us. Too bad. I loved playing with you._

The Orb, with one last little gust, rolls over and bumps the tip of my nose.

_Holly's going to be angry but it won't be too bad. Not for you. Like how I used to love the sea the most, Holly loves you the most._

I open my mouth to speak but my words were lost when a cool breath curls into my throat and wraps around my lungs. The Orb's light flickers before dulling; the golden clouds lose their extra sheen and disperse.

"Holly? Who's Holly?" I murmur as the real world fades away.

Holly. I don't know anyone with that name. Do I? The more tears you shed, the stronger you become? What did that mean? Where did I hear that from? It was so familiar, it almost made me cry.

Not now. Can't think of it now.

"I just need five minutes." I hear myself say as I fall into a deep sleep.

Far off in the deep expanse and darkness of my unconsciousness, I hear a dragon roaring.

It wasn't Lib.


	31. Always Another Time

I've had enough of the beach. Normally I don't mind beaches or oceans, I really don't. I just like sitting on the beach and watching the waves. Actually being in the ocean is a completely different story. A horror story to be exact.

But with all the bullshit that's gone down on Sho Nuff's beaches, I don't even want to look at the edge of a puddle.

So when I emerge from the thick tropical bush with a headache that was splitting my head down the middle to a paradiso-esque (do they have beaches in paradiso?) foamy beach, I thought about setting the island on fire.

Oh wait, too late.

"Ty!"

"Konnan?" I raise my hand in greeting to the soaking wet blond running towards me with Eli and a group of guardians and adventurers in tow.

Unaccustomed to moving on the soft sand with their bulky and heavy armor, most of them were running in slow motion and sinking into the ground. If the horizon wasn't slowly becoming blood red and menacing, I would have laughed.

"Ty, are you alright?" Konnan gets to me first and starts panting, bending down to rest his hands on his knees.

"What was that? What have you done?" Eli demands, running up behind Konnan.

"Lib and I have slain the sea squid and the ninja's guardian is on his way to the island as we speak." I jab my thumb in the frozen giant's direction. He was off the coast and bobbing towards the beach. At the rate he was going, if there were no sudden changes in the currents, he'll be back on the island just before Christmas.

"I think we did pretty good," I say as Lib blows out a jet of flames to clear the way for his head to poke out of the trees. He didn't need to but he did and the fire blows right over our heads, turning the some of the last of the island's trees into ash. "Lib! That's bad for the environment."

"You destroyed Sho' Nuff!" Eli freaks, throwing his hands in the air. "Both towns are gone. They're just gone. You and your dragon razed the rest of the island to the ground. Sho'Nuff has literally been cut in half because of you!"

"There was no other way to defeat the Wind Orb?" I suggest but that just made Eli angrier. He opens his mouth, starting and cutting off sentences that were too crude to speak in front of his guardians and adventurers.

"I can't believe this! You're supposed to be a hero and…who are you two?" Eli asks, finally noticing that I was being supported by my brother and that my sister was standing behind us.

"I was looking everywhere for you," Konnan says to Eric, walking up to the blond's side and grasps his shoulder. "I was worried you got thrown into the ocean and drowned after the explosion."

"Thanks to my cute sis here-" Eric nods over to Blaire as she stares at a burning leaf on the ground absently. "Me and the others got out safe."

"If it wasn't for her, my armor would have sunk me," One of the guardians who had caught up to us bows his head in gratitude to my sister. The others behind him do the same but Blaire was still interested in that leaf. It was slowly turning into ash almost as white as my sister's hair. "Thank you. Miss Mage!" They say in unison, not noticing Blaire's indifference. Maybe they had forgotten that with the spilling of the water breathing potions, it wouldn't have mattered if Blaire caught them.

"You must be Eli," Eric says and I doubt he knew Eli's name because he heard it from someone else. That's almost never the case with Eric. "My name is Eric and that pretty little lady over there is Blaire. We're Ty's family and while I do think she needs a good tongue lashing-" He glanced at me, letting the threat hang in the air. His eyes were blue like mine but were a gentler shade, like a freshwater lake in a sunny valley. That doesn't mean that Eric's always gentle, even with his siblings. "There is a time and a place for everything." He finishes, making me gulp. Even Lib was shaken by the tone and he flexes his claws in the sand nervously.

"Where did everyone go?" I ask, glancing down both ends of the beach. There were no signs of any ninjas, pirates or Falconreachers anywhere. Wasn't this where the ship landed? Or maybe it was on the other side of the island. All the beaches here look the same anyways.

"Thyton and Rhubarb have taken their people off shore and I've ordered ours to go with them," Eli says, fixing me with a stern stare. "Can you tell me  _why_  I did that?" He asks, talking down to me like I was some kid.

Though I suppose…I deserve that.

"Like I said, there was no other way," I reiterate firmly, glaring back at Eli only to have Eric stomp on my foot. "Ouch! I mean it! Lib can't fly!"

"Shut up, Butterbrain!" Lib hisses and brings his fangs close enough to my head to snap it off, scaring the guardians. Some of them fell on their butts.

"Your dragon can't fly?" Eli's jaw drops open and he looks up to the sky fearfully. "How are we going to fight  _him_? Do you at least have the Orb?"

"No," I shake my head and Eli pales so quickly, I was almost sure he had just died on his feet and became a ghost. Konnon wasn't doing much better either. "I got knocked out for a bit after the landing. I don't know where it went."

"When I found Ty on the ground unconscious, I saw a young man limping away through the foliage. Maybe he took it?" Eric proposes to Eli, gently taking my arm off of his shoulders so I could stand on my own.

"What did he look like?" Eli asks, steadily becoming more and more unhinged. "Did he happen to have black hair? Was he about your height? Maybe a bit taller? Purple cape? Looks like a dog threw him up?"

"I agree with all but the last," Eric nods, confirming Eli's fears. "He looked like a disturbed whale threw him up. Probably smells like it too."

"Drakath!" Eli and I say in unison. "He must lurked in the jungle during your fight and took the Orb while you were asleep, the slimy coward!" Eli reaches up to run a hand through his hair but only manages to knock his helmet off.

I don't say anything more because there was nothing to say. Nothing at all.

"Drat, I could have stopped him. I'm really sorry. That Orb was important, right? If only-" Eric says but Eli shakes his head as one of the guardians hands him his helmet. On the upside, I just found out that Eli's hair was red like the pretty rust that grew on the metal railings of the balcony at home.

"It's alright. You didn't know and you were worried about your sister." Eli assures Eric as I test my footing, shifting my weight from one foot to the other carefully. I was still a bit wobbly from the nightmare flight but I could stand, not that I was going to for long.

"Yes, I was worried about my sister." Eric repeats a portion of Eli's sentence.

"But with the Wind Orb lost to the Shadowscythe…" Eli shakes his head. "Why can't your dragon fly? It's in its adult form."

"Don't know for sure but I have a feeling I know why. It might be better to check with Lady Celestia though," I raise my chin to check on Lib. Above his head way up in the crimson clouds, a familiar and menacing bony snout pokes out and soon the rest of the colossal dracolich breaks through. Sepulchure was on his way. "He's come all the way to Sho'Nuff. Let me and Lib give him a proper island welcome." I smile with tightly clenched teeth, feeling intense fury flood my boiling veins.

Lib starts to growl but then the dragon amulet goes strangely cold and the rumble in the dragon's throat fades. The eagerness to fight was replaced with unease and I could hear his tail lashing at the trees nervously.

"Are you crazy?" Eli shouts as the other guardians gape at the monstrous bony dragon descending to the center of the island. We could feel its wing beats from all the way down here and they were strong enough to bend the trees. "Your dragon can't fly! You'll be no match."

"A dragon to dragon fight is the last thing on my mind," I say, flexing my bare fist. Darkness was darkness and all what it amounted to in the end was nothing. Sepulchure was an undead freak. I eat undead freaks for mid-afternoon forbidden brunch. "At least let me try to get there before Drakath hands him the Orb."

"Ty, this is no ordinary enemy! Those titans were one thing but an army of dragonlords and their full grown dragons wouldn't be able to take down Sepulchure on his feet," Eli clasps my shoulder. "You can't face him."

"Trust me," I nod resolutely and a growl rumbled in Lib's throat. "If everything I've done is wrong, at least let me try to do something that'll be right."

"Sir, we shouldn't ignore Sepulchure," One of Eli's guardians says as the others glance at each other worriedly. "If he gets that Wind Orb, considering what it's done to this island, all of Lore will be in danger."

The advice makes both Eli and I sweat; Eli, because the guardian was right and me, because I might have let my spite get out of control.

"I don't see any other dragons around and last I saw, the egg in the white chest was stolen by the same jerk that took the Orb," I say, looking over the trees to the descending dracolich. "Where does it look he's he landing?"

"One of the mountains to the south that you somehow miraculously missed during your rampage," Eli says, deciding to let me go albeit with a reluctant frown. "Are you sure you can hold your own? Don't make your express goal defeating Sepulchure. If you can, retrieve the Wind Orb. There's no need to put your life at so much risk."

"Just in case anything happens, get as far from the mountain as possible," I tell the others before turning to Eric and Blaire. "You go with them too."

"You sure he's undead?" Eric asks, shifting his eyes between Eli and I. The longer he was around the guardians and adventurers as they thought of how dangerous Sepulchure was, the likelier he was going to stop me.

"He isn't human according to my sources. He's an undead monster." Eli says, gaze glued to the bloodied horizon. "Why do you ask? Do you have an advantage over the undead?"

"Undead and darkness related," I mention before Lib lowers his head for me to jump on to. "Wish me luck!"

"Not darkness," Blaire whispers, tugging on my cape. "It doesn't feel like darkness."

"Wait! What does she mean?" Eli asks and the other guardians become worried.

"Um, Blaire? There's an undead dragon up there. I think he's aligned with the darkness," I say, gently taking her hand off of my cape. "If it doesn't feel like darkness, what could it possibly be?"

"Dark magic isn't the only magic that can raise the dead" Blaire shook her head before lowering her soft and frail voice even more. "It feels a little like you."

"Huh? What does that me-"

A chilling and bone shaking roar echoes across the island, effectively deafening everyone and preventing Eli and the others from hearing Blaire.

"Okay, time to go!" I yell over the ghostly noise, stepping on to Lib.

The dragon throws his head back, unceremoniously flinging me on to his back face first. I sit up and spit out bits of his dry scales. Jerk.

' _You shouldn't go.'_ I hear my brother say and it was almost just as freakish as that roar. Eric was on the ground way too far away for me to hear him. Hear him speak out loud, that is.

"I hate it when you do that," I grumble, wiping the stray scales from the side of my mouth. "There's isn't any time to change plans. At least let me size him up."

" _If there is anything suspicious, run. You'll really get it if you don't come back in one whole piece."_

"Gotcha." I say and Lib charges off towards the southern tip of the island. I bounce up and down on his back as I watch the red horizon.

The giant dracolich blocked out the rays of the sun and the shadow it casted covered the entire island in darkness. It hovers over the mountains and as a peculiar prickling sensation washes over me, I spot a tiny dot descending towards the tip.

"Butterbrain? Grandma said that there were two boxes. One of them was mine." Lib says and I could somehow hear him very clearly with the sound of his feet pounding on the ground as he ran. The dragon amulet was practically burning a hole through my chest; maybe it was thanks to the amulet that I could hear him so well.

"Are you asking about the other box? Drakath took it back to Sepulchure," I reply, eyes trained on the descending dot. "There was an egg inside too." The moment the words leave my mouth, I understood and my heart fell with Lib's.

"Do you think it's my brother? A sister?" Lib asks and though he was hiding his hesitation, I could feel it through the amulet. Actually, the word bond could describe it better. And even if there wasn't one, Lib didn't sound so hopeful and he was slowing down a bit to kill more time before the encounter. "Butterbrain, do you think they'll…No, they're probably…" Lib stops before he could upset himself further.

"Libérta…" I began, clasping the red gem in my bare hand. "I'm not sure how to go about this but I don't have any blood related siblings. I was the only one created. My family taught me that the strongest bonds are forged over time with trust and love. I don't think I can relate to how you're feeling right now," I say and Lib's muscles tighten. "But that just means I'm going to have to get to know the little guy first, right? If the other dragon is there, we're going to do all we can to bring him back."

"Right!" Lib roars and speeds towards our mountaintop date.

The entire time, my breath became fluttery and so did my heartbeat. I was starting to get the shakes all over and a weird giddy tremble took a hold of my stomach.

* * *

It didn't take long to reach the top of the mountain. It would have been better if we had taken our time.

The moment Lib climbed up the ledge to even ground, Sepulchure had landed by the cliff's edge.

The doomknight was wearing the same menacing red armor as he did when I first locked eyes with him during the first war I experienced in Falconreach. The dark red draconic armor had twisted horns protruding from the helmet and pauldrons. He radiated a deep red glow, outlining itself from the invading night sky. Power seemed to saturate the air around him and if I was anyone else, I would have dropped to my knees from terror.

Instead, the same bubbling rage from back in Falconreach filled me and threatened to spurn me into charging him right then and there.

And the tiny little skeleton scampering around his boots made it worse. The undead baby dragon flapping its skinless wings tried to speak but instead of a squealed roar it made a creaky death rattle. The baby dracolich was around Lib's size. I wonder how long it had to grow before they ripped its life away.

The moment Lib caught sight of the dracolich, he began to growl and blinding light filtered out of his fangs. That little skeleton could have been easily him and it was obvious now that there was no bringing that dragon back to our side.

"Lib, just killing this guy isn't going to be enough, is it?" I say, gritting my teeth as the dragon amulet around my neck burns fiercely. Lib snorts, not bothering to answer a question I already knew his answer to.

Sepulchure knelt by the little skeleton, holding out his own dragon amulet. The gem flashes intensely and the dead baby dragon begins to glow. Wind builds around us and the baby's bones expand and grow.

Before the thought of trying to stop the transformation crossed our minds, the baby had transformed into a fully grown skeletal monster that matched Lib's gigantic form. Both the dragon and the doomknight give off an aura of dark power that makes my heart speed and my breath quiver.

My fingers were dying to act; aching to touch those monstrous bones.

Sepulchure chooses that moment to turn his attention to Lib and I. His eyes were hidden and only the black eye sockets of the draconic helmet stared back. It sent a rush of adrenaline through my body and a hungry ache in my stomach.

In sync, Sepulchure and I begin to move towards each other. With each stride forward, the air becomes thicker and I had to hide the fact that it was getting hard to breathe properly.

We meet each other in the middle of the clearing on the border of night and day, our eyes locked on each other. I keep my chin up but it was hard to look intimidating when Sepulchure was so tall.

"Like a rat to cheese. Ty, was it? How predictable." Sepulchure says and the low rumble of his voice echoed in my ears.

Swallowing, I glance from the doomknight's stoic frown to his sword.

The red blade could have been my height and with one swift swing, it could cleave me in half. The hilt was made of a skull and bones. Whose? I might never get to know.

"Which one is in charge?" I snap, narrowing my eyes at the doomknight. "It isn't you."

"HAHAHA, YOU'RE SHARP! OR STUPID! HOW DID YOU KNOW?" The sword cackled and even though Sepulchure didn't show it, I could feel his fury tickling my skin.

"The undead are puppets and nothing more. That armor has more will than your meat slave does," I sneer, hoping to get a reaction. "Where did you find him? The second hand store?"

"WOAH, YOU GOT GUTS! OR A BIG DEATH WISH!" The sword exclaimed and for a moment, Sepulchure's hand twitches.

"So I've been told," I shrug, acting disinterested. "What brings you here? Come to kill more babies?" I say, peering over at the skeletal dragon behind him. "Whoever you're doing all this for must be very proud." I smirk at the doomknight.

"You are testing my boundaries, rat." Sepulchure was keeping his voice even but there was no denying the hatred seething from his entire being. His fingers were itching to reach out and choke the life out of me.

The feeling was mutual.

The need to crush and drain the life out of him was so strong I could barely contain myself. My knees were shaking and I couldn't even make myself blink. I've never felt this way before.

"That's all you are. Nothing but a meddling rat and unfortunately, a talkative one," Sepulchure continues and I had to bite down on my cheek to keep from saying any more than what was needed. "A little weakling like you is nothing more than an ant to me. Perhaps even less considering how my servant, Drakath, was able steal the Wind Orb from right under your little nose."

I couldn't help but bristle at the way he talked about Drakath and I. Despite what I've said about the foolish little princeling before, he still had one thing over Sepulchure. It wasn't much but it was still something.

"At least Drakath still has a mind of his own." I snap back and all at once, the weight of the air around us grew a hundred fold and I was almost forced down on my front.

"HAHAHA, SHE HAS A POINT!" The sword laughed maniacally and neither Sepulchure or I appreciated his input.

"But if he's already safe and sound, in a sense, up in your flying castle, I suppose the Wind Orb's out of my reach now," I sigh, struggling to keep my voice and body steady. "But I'm a little confused. I can understand why Drakath would want the Wind Orb but you…or whatever's pulling your strings, why would they need the Orb? Judging from your two dracolich, your powerful cursed armor, the way people talk about you like you're some sort of unstoppable force, and your sword that seems to be overcompensating for something, your master doesn't look like it needs it. Unless…there's a bigger picture that I'm missing."

"Correct. So it seems you aren't a complete fool and perhaps you do possess a sense of self-awareness," Sepulchure says with a hint of an amused chuckle. "You even pointed out your own narrowed sight."

I almost snarl at the cocky son of a bitch but then the giant sword cut in.

"THE ORBS! ONCE WE HAVE ALL OF THEM AND UNITE THEIR POWER, THERE WILL BE NOTHING IN LORE THAT WILL BE ABLE TO STOP OUR PLANS! NOTHING!" The sword starting shrieking with laughter, unable to contain itself. "NOT EVEN THE PROPHESY! WE'VE BROKEN THE PROPHESY AND NOW YOU ARE NO LONGER A THREAT!"

Prophesy. It always comes hand in hand with destiny and fate to drag you kicking and screaming down a barb wire ridden path. I hate those words and I could think of nothing worse than being controlled by invisible strings.

"What prophesy? I've never heard of one and definitely one that has anything to do with me or Lib." I ground out, shoulders beginning to quiver from unease and from the sword's added dark aura adding to the gnawing sensation in my stomach.

"You do not know? Truly?" Sepulchure sneers and the sword laughs even louder. "And all this time, you've been doing the priestess' bidding? I admit that my master directs my actions but I am not blind."

"I don't do anyone's bidding," I snap, excitement and fury tearing my chest apart. "And don't you insult Lady Celestia. I'll rip your brain dead head right off of your shoulders and stick it on your mouthy sword. Then we'll see who'd be laughing."

"BOTH OF US! THAT SOUNDS FUN!"

"The priestess already has you wrapped around her finger," Sepulchure chuckles. "I did not believe the priestess could be manipulative but I suppose I was wrong."

"Watch it," I hiss, hardly able to contain myself. "Ma-…The Lady would never do something like that." How dare this bastard insult the lady? Was he seriously trying to imply that she was just as bad as his master?

"Really? And the reason you are on this island has nothing to do with her?"

"Why would she have anything to do with me being here? I was just here on…vacation," I trail off, remembering who suggested the vacation in the first place. "No. That's not right. This is all just a coincidence. Bad luck. That's it. I've never been a lucky kid. Never."

Because if mama purposely sent me here for the Orb then that means…father, Alison…everyone was in on this. That would mean this whole time, from the moment I was thrown here, they were manipulating me?

"SHE USED YOU! HAHAHA! WHERE'D YOUR GUTS GO, HERO? WHERE YOUR BRAIN RAN OFF TO?" The sword laughs and the trembling in my shoulders got worse.

"Shut up!" I shout, momentarily losing control of myself. "This is all just a coincidence. I don't have anything to do with this!"

"And yet you are here, facing me. You poor fool," Sepulchure shook his head in disappointment. "I seem to have overestimated you. I was expecting at the very least, a reckless green adventurer and instead, a blind child is sent to me. One that cannot even see the difference between fate and coincidence. Not that either matters anymore." He chuckles, making my heart race fast and hard enough to block out my hearing with its deafening beats.

Fate doesn't control me. It doesn't control me.

"SHOULD WE TELL HER? WE SHOULD TELL HER!" The sword began to taunt, its red glow becoming brighter against the backdrop of the night sky. "IF WE DON'T, SHE'LL NEVER KNOW THE COMING DOOM SHE FACES."

"If this is about your prophesy, I don't care. It has n-nothing to do with me." I snap, inwardly cursing at the break in my voice. Stupid! Stupid! Don't look weak! The last thing you need to be right now is weak! It's shameful! Embarrassing!

"Fine, little rat," Sepulchure says, looking over me to Lib. The dragon's scales had shifted to a dark blue, like the depths of the coldest ocean, and his eyes glowed gold as he snarled at his other, sensing my own fury. "Even if it has nothing to do with you, the focus of the prophesy is your runt of a dragon."

"Rrrg," I stifled the growl, briefly glancing at Lib. "What about him?"

"The prophesy spoke of two dragons. One would be born to save the world and the other would destroy it," Sepulchure says with a hint of amusement. "The egg in the black box hatched the destroyer; your dragon."

Lib roars in protest and the rows of his sword-like teeth glint in the retreating sunlight.

"No! She told me I would be a hero!" I hear him shout. Did the Lady lie to the both of us?

"That's impossible. Neither of us would do anything like that! Falconreach is…Lore is my home now," I say resolutely. "Whatever you're planning, Lib and I aren't going to play into your hands. No one's destroying Lore and you aren't touching any of my friends."

"Your determination is impressive but wasted," Sepulchure continues. "There is no hope for your success. The savior dragon, hatched from the egg in the white box, is under my control."

The dracolich behind him lets out a breath of pure darkness, polluting the air with its display of power. The sight was horrible and something in my gut told me that whatever that monster was…it wasn't meant to be of this world. That dragon was a glaring contradiction in a world that thrived on order and balance.

"Corrupted by my master's darkness, it has become one of my undead servants. With no dragon left to save the world, the prophesy has broken and Lore will fall to darkness." Sepulchure squeezes his hand into a fist, as if he was imagining crushing the world in his palm.

"WITH NO DRAGON LEFT TO SAVE LORE, YOURS WILL DESTORY THE WORLD AND THE FORMER SAVIOR WILL HELP!" The sword laughs and my chin fell.

They broke the prophesy. That dragon; the savior's destiny has been destroyed which means…

"Mom! I am not the destroyer!" Lib hisses but his voice was distraught. The dragon sounds like he believed the doomknight's words more than his own.

I wasn't able to say anything.

"Mom!"

"HAHAHAHA, THE HERO IS SPEECHLESS! SHE'S GIVEN INTO DESPAIR! LOOK, HER SHOULDERS ARE SHAKING AND SHE'S GIGGLING! HAHAHAH. WAIT A SEC-"

"What is the meaning of this? Have you gone mad from this revelation?" Sepulchure growls at my building laughter.

Clutching my stomach, I quiver from my own laughing. Maybe I had gone crazy but not from despair. I was absolutely elated.

"This is amazing. Thank you. Thank you both so much," I grin brightly, wiping away a tear of relief. "You broke the prophesy! Don't you understand what that means?"

"I DON'T GET THIS JOKE. TELL ME THE PUNCHLINE!" The sword yells and Sepulchure keeps his silence. I think I've caught both of them off guard.

"You want the punchline? Here it is. You've saved Lore. Congratulations!" I start mock clapping. "Here's to the idiots who've dug their own metaphorical grave. You've just proven to me that the entire bullshit prophesy is worthless. Since, through your logic, there's no dragon left to save the world, the prophesy is broken. That means that Lib's free to do whatever he wants. His supposed destiny's shattered into pieces."

"You are in denial. Your world destroyer is-"

"Shut it," I cut the doomknight off flippantly. "You broke the prophesy which means anything goes. What? Did you think that even if you broke half of the prophesy, the other half would still go through? It's like saying a ship will sail with the bow broken off. You've just shown me that fate and destiny have nothing to do with anything. I'm sorry it took the sacrifice of a baby dragon to do so but I guess he did save Lore in a sense. If its fate can change, so can Lib's." I smile, turning back to see Lib roar in triumph.

"My master set all of these events, from your arrival to the birth of the dragons, in motion when mankind was still crawling in caves and hiding from the sun. Your conjecture means nothing. All you are is an ant in my master's plan and with the prophesy broken-"

"We're free," I tch, shaking my head at the doomknight. "And your master? I doubt he saw me coming and don't accuse me of being arrogant. Not this time. For once on this whole stupid trip, I've said something logical."

"THIS HERO IS A BLIND FOOL. THE MASTER SEES ALL AND-WAIT, NOW THAT I GOT A BETTER LOOK AT YOU…" The sword's obnoxious voice trails off as it takes a moment to examine me further. I could feel its stare run over my body and I unconsciously shiver.

Then, the sound of an over the top metallic gasp rushes out of the sword and its jaw drops. "WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU? A PARTY PACK? HOW DID YOU GET THAT? WHERE DID THE PRIESTESS DIG YOU UP FROM? AND THAT-" The sword pauses, prompting Sepulchure to glance down curiously at the chattering skull. Suddenly, laughter erupts from the sword and a sliver of unease passes through me.

"THE PRIESTESS HAS BECOME DESPERATE! OH SHE'S STOOPED VERY LOW TO GET YOU TO BECOME THE HERO, INTERLOPER. I'M JEALOUS."

"What are you talking about?" I cringe at the grating noise of its scratchy laughing.

"I am…curious as well." Sepulchure managed, regarding me with new interest.

"LATER. WE HAVE THE WIND ORB AND THE MASTER MUST HEAR THE GOOD NEWS," The Doom Sword says. "LOOKS LIKE WE'LL BE CATCHING UP LATER, SISTER FROM ANOTHER MISTER. TRY NOT TO GET BANISHED BEFORE THEN."

"Hold on a second. You're just going to leave?" I glare at the two incredulously, drawing my sword. "Why not just settle this here and now? It'd save both of us the trouble."

"Hmph, while the idea is tempting…" Sepulchure mutters. "Our fight will be saved for another time. Though you have proven to be surprising, I am out of your league. I'd rather wait until you've gotten stronger. At least, by then it might pass as entertaining."

"All of your kind are the same. So full of yourself it makes me want to be sick." I sneer, taking a bold step closer to the doomknight.

"SEPULCHURE, THE HERO WILL LIVE THIS DAY. THE MASTER COMMANDS IT," The sword warns is wielder. "THE PLAN FOR THE HERO MAY HAVE CHANGED BUT THEY STILL MUST WALK."

Great, so their master still has something in mind for me even though they ruined the prophesy. At least that was one advantage I had in the coming duel. They can't kill me just yet apparently.

"Your taunting is childish as are your skills at the moment. I am giving you a chance to walk away with your body intact. Only a fool would be senseless enough to refuse it." Sepulchure says, ready to turn his back on me and leave.

Childish, huh? We'll see about that.

"It was a woman, wasn't it?"

The red blade comes at me so fast, I almost didn't see it fast enough to jump away.

"HA, YOU'RE IN A RUSH TO DIE, HERO!" The sword laughs and its wielder, having missed the opportunity to lop off my head, snarls.

"That was a mistake."

Gods, it's always a woman. I hardly see it the other way around.

"The Irismancer told me a little bit about you and how you were too  _weak_  and  _pathetic_ to save someone close to you. Even turned to the dark side to become stronger; maybe even to find a way to bring this woman back, not that she'd want to see your ugly mug after what you've become," I say, ready and excited for the biggest fight of my life. My hands were shaking; if I drained that much dark energy from that undead freak, I might never have to hunt the undead ever again. "What a sob story. Too bad it's the fiftieth time I've heard it."

"Summon your dragon and prepare to be crushed into dust." The doomknight says, taking the same offensive stance.

"Too afraid to take me one on one?"

Lib was already way ahead of me. The dragon bounds over Sepulchure and I, landing with a thunderous thud and breathes golden flames at the dracolich. With equal ferocity, Lib's opponent spews deep purple fumes and their breaths mesh into a blast of pure energy.

Just as Lib took the first strike, I make my first slash at the doomknight. My blade falls on the dark red metal of the sword and he deflects my attack so hard, I was almost lifted off the ground.

Retreating a few steps, I block his returning blows. Groaning with the effort, I support the blade of my sword with my palm as Sepulchure smashes his sword on mine. The force behind each hit shoves me back farther and farther, making streaks in the dirt and making my wrists creak. At this rate, he'd break my bones without laying a hand on me.

"YOU THINK YOUR DINKY STICK STANDS A CHANCE AGAINST ME?" The crimson sword taunts as its wielder relentlessly aims for a killing strike.

"This sword was-eeuhg-forged by one of the strongest-agh-demons in the seven hells of-Fuck!" I swear, leaping back when the point of the dark sword makes a gash across the armor protecting my stomach. It tears through the metal and grazes my belly, just barely touching skin.

That was way too close. I had only tried striking him once and I was already out of breath. A straight up sword fight wasn't going to work and with that huge piece of metal blocking my way, I won't be able to get my hand near that undead freak without having my arm chopped off.

"Time for a tactic change." I mutter, ready to leap. That week practicing with the fox won't go to waste.

"You are boring me, little rat," Sepulchure sneers, lowering his sword. "And your dragon is faring no better."

"Lib?" I shout fearfully for the baby dragon. He was wrestling with his bony counterpart now and the beast had him pinned. The dracolich grapples with Lib and shoots its skull out to dig its fangs into Lib's neck. Roaring in pain and rage, Lib breathes another flurry of golden flames on the dracolich but his attacks weren't doing anything.

The dragon amulet was losing its warmth quickly and my own lungs felt like they were being crushed like Lib's were. Sucking in a shaky breath, I prepare myself for my hastily made plan of attack

No time to waste; we need to kill him right now.

"You're going to die here, one way or another!" I charge at the doomknight on lightning quick feet, jumping at him with my sword aimed to spear his helmet.

He deflects me with hardly any effort and the moment our blades collide, it throws me back several feet. Without hesitation, I try for a second time and go for a different angle. Sepulchure flings me back with the sword and the motion he made could have been described as casual.

"I assume you do not see how you are humiliating yourself with this juvenile display." Sepulchure says as I continue, not noticing that each time he threw me back, I landed a bit farther. It gives me time to build up my speed.

The aim wasn't to hit him with my sword; it would do nothing. But my hands, the curse that keeps me alive, keeps the voice at bay, and gives me strength; one touch and the doomknight will collapse.

I jump again, clearing meters of distance and just before Sepulchure reacts and blocks my way with the sword, my bare fingers come inches from reaching his wrist and meet with the steel of the sword instead.

"COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLLDDDDD. EEWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!" The sword shrieks and a pulse of dark energy erupts from the doomknight, hitting me in the chest and stunning me while I was still airborne.

"Enough of this farce!" Sepulchure's slams me into the dirt with an armored fist. My landing makes a miniature crater in the ground but, thanks to a miraculous burst of energy, I roll my broken body away fast enough to dodge the sword jabbing down on me.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR HANDS?" The sword demands with a hint of a shiver. "WHAT'S WRONG WITH ME? WHOOOAaoaaAAaAa. DID I TURN THE STOVE OFF TODAY? BUT I TRIED ON MEDIUM?"

Hacking and coughing, I push myself up on my knees, willing myself to reach for Sepulchure's foot with my sword. My head was pounding and it hurt so much, I could hardly see what I was trying to touch. With a parched throat, I rasp desperately as my quivering hand edges towards the blurred shape.

Feeling something drip from my lips, I squint at the ground to search for blood but all I could see was black. A black inky slime was dripping all over my armor and on to the cracked earth.

What's happening to me?

"What have you done, rat?" Sepulchure looks down at my trembling body as the sword babbles nonsense.

"IF I HAD A DIME FOR EVERY TIME I LEFT THE STOVE ON, I WOULD BE SCRUBBING DISHES FOR FOR-" The sword stops mid-sentence. "THAT WAS AWFUL. HEY HERO! DO IT AGAIN!"

Though I was confused and having some sort of attack, the tip of my blade manages to click against Sepulchure's boot. Gasping, I lunge for the doomknight only to have his foot slam into my skull. Half of my face shatters and I was knocked on to my back. It would have surprised me if my eye was still resting in its socket with how hard he kicked me.

Furious at myself, I spit out a black glob and haul my aching body back up.

This shouldn't be happening. It should be Sepulchure on the ground, not me. My touch…did touching the sword hurt me? But it's not undead and it's not a darkness spirit let alone something of the light.

"I don't understand." I gasp, struggling to grasp for anything to help me get up.

That ended up being the doomknight's shin guard.

Yes! He's let his guard down and now he'll-

"That was a disappointing waste of time. In no time at all, I have successfully brought you to your knees." Sepulchure's boot slams into my chest and my body is lobbed into the side of the mountain ledge. I almost didn't notice. The burning pain in my hand blocks everything out and it surges up my arm to the rest of my body.

Why? How is he different? He's just an undead corpse. The dark power that keeps him moving should be rushing to power me unless…this wasn't darkness?

An invisible fire was searing the skin off of my muscles and even my screams were silenced by the pain. Only one sound breaks through the haze.

Lib's pained wailing reaches my ears and prompts me to bolt straight up. My eye focuses in on the two dueling dragons and the amount of blood gushing from the wounds all over his dull scales pulls a harsh cry from my throat. Lib was battered and stumbling on his feet, already defeated while his enemy was pristine. It was like the dracolich hadn't even taken a scratch.

Lib was going to die and I was powerless to help. But I was the one who caused it in the first place, wasn't I? But I was so sure…

"GAAAAHHHH, AWFUL. THAT FEELS AWFUL! DO IT AGAIN! LET ME TOUCH THEM!" The sword shouts and Sepulchure marches towards me as I fall back against the cliff wall.

The doomknight was radiating strength and magic that I hadn't sensed before. Right now, as the sharp edge of panic pierces through my muddled mind, Sepulchure was showing me that he didn't even need to use his full power against me; that I was worthless.

How long did I last? Four minutes? This isn't how it's going to end. Try again. This was all just a fluke. My touch will work and I just need to try!

I pant and push off the wall with no plan in mind. Clutching my shoulder, I stagger towards Sepulchure with my sword stuck in my locked fingers. The doomknight stares at me and says nothing before gazing down at his gauntlets, like he was in some sort of trance. That's it! The sword was affected by my touch and so was he. I just need to get him closer for another and then and then…How?

"Can't lose…not to a-erg-not to a toy." I spit and Sepulchure, coming back to attention, raises the jabbering sword as it let loose another line of nonsensical taunting and impales me right through my chest.

My scream popped my eardrums and melds with the crimson sword's screech. The blood in my veins turns to flame and a river of it spews out of my mouth.

The doomknight twists his sword as he rips it out of my body and I collapse into a crying heap, hands pressing against the spurting slit in my chest.

"GAH! THIS IS DEFIANCE! THE MASTER TOLD YOU-" The sword hisses, like it was also in terrible agony. "YOU HAVE DIOBEYED THE MASTER! YOU HAVE DISOBEYED ME! YOUR PUNISHMENT WILL-"

"I have not disobeyed," Sepulchure breathes harshly and his dragon amulet glows. The dracolich ceases its attack and backs away from Lib, who was on the verge of fainting from blood loss and the black burns peeling his scales back. "World destroyer," The doomknight calls to Lib. "Take your pitiful master and flee. I believe the priestess is visiting the island. Let us see if your wings are faster than death's."

"Y-You," I sputter, rage bubbling over the pain. A puddle was forming under me and all I could do was squirm in it. Forcing myself to turn my head up and struggling to keep my eyes open, I glare murderously at the bastard and ground out "Y-you aren't i-invincible. No o-one is. I. Will. Kill. You."

"Not in this lifetime, rat." Sepulchure replies simply and I was lifted off the ground and up into the air before I could say anything. He got the last word.

The mountain fades away and through half-lidded eyes, I watch with ebbing consciousness as green forests turns to dark blue sea. The cold darkness of sleep was falling like curtain over the churning waters as they get closer and closer until I start to fall.

The ocean swallows me and I sink without a fight. Night had overtaken the sky and with the water slowing my descent, it feels like I'm falling into bed.

My back hits the soft sand and my eyes open to find myself back in the moonlit garden behind my house.

Everything was almost same. The cottage stood untouched, the grass feels warm even in the cool night, and the sky still had the same unfamiliar constellations. The only difference was that it was all underwater.

The trees sway in the gentle current as do the out of season blooming flowers in the miniature garden. Bubbles rise from my mouth up to the blurry moon and it was easy for me to sit up.

"Did I just die?" I ask, pressing my palm over my chest. No hole and no blood. I wasn't wearing my armor and actually…my chest is smaller than I remember. My hands too. My body had shrunk and I found that I had reverted back into my seven year old body. "Huh? What kind of dumb dream is this?" I gape at my stubby legs and ruddy knees.

"It was a dumb way to die, pipsqueak." A voice that had been dead for six years alerts me to the person lying beside me. A woman with long blond hair was on her back with her arms crossed behind her head, staring up at the stars.

Virelai.

"Speak for yourself," I scowl at her before falling back as well. "I'm not screaming or freaking out. Does dying take away the fear?"

"Can't answer that, kiddo," Virelai says, rolling on her side to face me. Her slender arm snakes out from behind her head towards me but stops just short of caressing my cheek. "Even when you've grown a couple of feet, you're still a dumb kid. You aren't dead kid but you're close. Very close."

"I don't understand why it didn't work. That bastard was undead and I should have been able to drain him. I was supposed to win," I groan again, squishing the sides of my head from frustration. "Do you have any ideas?"

"Your touch didn't work with me or Beathan. Could that be the reason?"

"No. Absolutely not and don't you remember? It took a while before it stopped affecting you," I say, turning to face her as the currents started to grow stronger. "Are we underwater because of you? Is that also the reason why it's so dark?"

"Kiddo, if I could control how you dream all the time, we'd be in a pool with a floating chocolate fountain. Eh, screw the water. The pool'd be filled with vodka and babes," Virelai says, getting me to giggle and playfully, she pokes my ribs. "But you aren't allowed to do that anymore. People look up to you and that seriously sucks," She teases, tugging on my shirt lightly. "You're a role model now so no more rushing off and causing trouble. You've already made your mama cry."

"Is mother here?" I ask, growing confused. That wasn't possible because Lyla was-

"No," Virelai shakes her head. The flowing water was rustling her clothes; the ones she borrowed from my sister years ago. "You've made friends and family quick. I had no idea a little brat like you could pull in so many people at once. Or maybe these Lore guys are just nice like that. Tear up an entire island and they'll still watch your back."

"Shut up," I snort, rubbing my nose as I look back up at the sky. "So if it isn't you doing this to my head, who is it?"

"Ty…the more tears you shed the stronger you become." Virelai says, her voice becoming wistful. "You've made a lot of people cry."

"I heard that just a while ago. Who said it?" The moment the words leave my mouth, the current abruptly speeds up fast enough to tear the trees from the ground. The cottage is blown away and the ground was ripped apart. "Virelai!" I shout, turning to her as she sits up, unaffected by the shift in the water.

"Ty, what that sword is…it's not the same kind of darkness," Virelai says and the whisper carries over the whipping current. "It's different and it's not killing you. It's making you re-no! No! Go away!" She becomes angry, waving her arm at me.

"What's going on?" I yell and my voice cracks as black tendrils curl into my vision. The wound in my chest opens and the burning pain returns full force, shredding my head into ribbons.

"Ty! Not now! Don't turn around! You can't look! Not now!" Virelai screams as her own body was disintegrating into sand.

"Stop! Don't leave!" I reach towards her but she keeps shaking her head. Not at me but at something behind me.

"Not now. Please?" Virelai smiles one last time before she completely collapsed into tiny grains of sand, flowing into the dark.

Terrified and overcome with loss, I squeeze my eyes shut and let the swirling waters form into a violent whirlpool around me.

It had to be the person under the sheet; the same one that appeared with Beathan. If both of them were scared of it, I should listen to them. Not now, no matter how much I want to, I will not look back.

_Soon? One day soon?_

My chest, stabbed with a rush of longing and hope, swells and I couldn't help it. I turn around and come face to face with the person under the sheet. Except he wasn't lying down.

The figure, draped in a pure and unsullied cloth, looms over me and even though the current pressed the sheet against them, outlining their features, I couldn't keep them in focus.

"I've never seen you before. Why are you here? Why this time?" I demand, digging my fingers into the cursed cover. "Answer me!" I wrench the sheet off their body and promptly get lost in it, obscuring my own vision.

Grunting, I try to force the sheet off me but all that did was make it wrap around me tighter.

_See._

Soon, my arms were tangled and the blood flowing from my chest blinded me.

_See. Wake._

I'm trying!

_The more tears you shed, the stronger you become. Now, wake._

"Go away!" I roar, puncturing through and ripping the sheet off of me.

My eyes open and find myself on my back the same way I was when I fell. Whoever was under the sheet was gone. In their place knelt Lady Celestia.

"You're doing fine, Ty. We're almost back. Just a little more and we'll be safe." She forces her usual pleasant and peaceful smile and even with her red and puffy eyes, it prompted the sides of my mouth to rise a little. Her stained gloves were pressed on my chest and glowed white, keeping the darkness at bay.

Lady Celestia's silver hair flutters in the air and it wasn't until she let out a breath that I realize we were still underwater. Or were we? I couldn't see the surface. If she had reached me before I had bled out, that must mean we were still in the shallows somewhere. Then why was there no sky?

"Ma…? Where are we?"

"Shhhh, I'll take care of it." Lady Celestia assures me but the words come out as a croak and she sounds like she was about to break into sobs again. It was so strange seeing her like this. Even when we had played in the fountain with Lib and Twilly, she still had an air of sophistication and control. I never thought I'd see her like this. "I'm sorry I lied. If I had just told you…no, not until I bring you back."

Bring me back to where? Back home?

"Leave this place. You are not needed." Lady Celestia says, restoring her concentration. Was she talking to me? But that wouldn't make any sense.

Straining my eyes, I search through the dark for any sign of life. Seconds tick by and I saw nothing but the shifting of the shades. Maybe it was my eyes playing close-to-death tricks on me but the darkness was rippling like a cloth. The darkness was a long black endless cloak covering us and threatening to smother Lady Celestia's light. It was like looming death.

"Because that's what you are? Death?" I rasp and the darkened cloth bunches into a bump above us before slowly forming into a cowl. A soft blue glow resonates from under the cloth and the metal point of the hood gleams. Looking at him wasn't scary. If anything, it made me sleepy. A little nostalgic too.

"This soul isn't yours. Leave us." Lady Celestia snaps and for the first time, her mouth twists into a threatening scowl; one that could strike fear into the heart of death itself.

The force under the hood remains silent, watching the light from Celestia's hands grow brighter. The wound was mending rapidly and I couldn't feel it hurting anymore. Her magic must be strong or she was pushing herself too hard.

"Stop," I try to move but my body was spent. I couldn't even lift my arms to push Lady Celestia's hands away. "You aren't taking her either."

"I come not to reap souls. One is destined for another time and the other never existed in the first place. Even if it did, that soul would be out of my jurisdiction." The force under the cowl murmurs and its words resonate in our tight little space.

"Tell us your business and you may leave." Lady Celestia speaks without sparing the entity a glance. She was fearless.

"I come to give you warning, Priestess. The prime elements care not of this imbalance though they should and Lorithia stays above so it falls to me," The entity says as if his arrival was a blessing, shifting out of the blackness into his full cloaked height. "Your decision has cost this world greatly. The darkness may have doomed the prophesy but your misdeed has irreversibly severed the threads of fate."

"So tedious. All you tall people, high and mighty with prophesies," I struggle to grin. "You'd be lost without your instruction manual."

"There may be only one way to mend your wrong doing. Priestess, you have always upheld order and you must return to doing so now. Banish them," The being commands in a low rumbling tone. "Banish them and right the imbalance. You cannot allow this abomination to roam freely in this world. Retrieve another Hero and restore destiny."

For a moment, I see regret flash in Lady Celestia's eyes but it was soon replaced with a new determined resolve.

"Never again," Lady Celestia says. "Never again will I let Lore be thrown to the mercy of destiny. From now on, we will decide our own fate." The light in Celestia's hands glow brighter and pierces through death's shield, pushing him away.

"You will suffer your transgression, make no mistake of it." Death utters before dissipating into thin air.

Air. We were out in the air. The sky was back where it should be and the red stain was slowly receding into the clouds on the horizon.

There was something wriggling in the crook of my arm. Lib, in his baby form, was curled up in a ball next to me. There were lines of pink where the gashes used to be and though he had lost gallons of blood, he was still breathing steadily. Oh gods, he was safe. Thank the gods he was safe.

Swallowing, I run my hand over my chest and dip it through the torn armor to feel the wound. Though it was sealed, the skin feels tender and sore. A scar had already formed over it but my fingertips tingle at the memory.

"Ty? Can you see me?" Lady Celestia asks, cupping the side of my face with her hand. Biting my lip to keep myself from sobbing, I nod and she collapses over me, exhausted.

Shouts of "My Lady!" reach our ears and a crowd of guardians and adventurers rush towards us. If the command for them to halt wasn't sounded, the two of us would have been crushed in the throng.

"Ty!" One lone boyish voice ignores the order and slides to my side on his knees. Ash was tumbling through a mixture of anger and joy and doing a very bad job of keeping his eyes from watering.

"Hey, can we save the talk for later? You can call me all the names you want. Make me polish the new set of armor I'm going to commission for you and more. Just wait till I rearrange my organs, K?" I joke and if I wasn't so injured, Ash would have punched me.

"You're an idiot!" Ash retorts, shaking uncontrollably. "I'm…I'm not your friend anymore!" He cries, sniffling hard on his last word as he covers his eyes with his forearm. I slip my hand into his and squeeze his fingers soothingly. Ash returns the gesture with enough strength to break my hand.

"He's right you know," Eli marches towards us. Though there was a trace of sympathy in his expression, the punishment he was going to deliver was going to be severe like it should be. "The Orb is gone?"

Guiltily, I turn my head away and that was a good enough answer.

Bowing his head, Eli keeps his hands fixed at his side and breathes out through his nose, quelling his panic.

"My Lady? Are you hurt?" He asks Lady Celestia as she lay on my stomach. Her hair was a tangled, her dress was in tatters, and she was soaked to the bone. What happened? Did she jump in and rescue me? That's exactly what happened, wasn't it? I'm a bigger loser than I thought. Mama had to pull me out of my mess.

"When your dragon crashed into the water, we feared the worst," Eli says, reading my expression. "Luckily, he had flown in close enough to our ships for us to reach you in time. The Lady jumped ship before we could stop her and by the time my guardians and I came to find you, the wound had already closed but you were still dying. We attempted to aid the Lady but that strange ball of shadows appeared and blocked our path."

"That sword was the Doom Blade," Lady Celestia says, as she sits up, exuding strength in her posture. "The wound it made was bolstered by its powerful magic and couldn't be healed by regular means. It was a risk but I had to purify the wound, I'm sorry."

Eli glanced at Lady Celestia, confused. He must not know of what happens to me when my hands come into contact to anything that wasn't darkness or the undead let alone pure elemental light. Not knowing if directing her magic directly into me would trigger the voice to emerge, she did it anyway and put her life in danger to save mine.

"I s-should be the one apologizing." I cough, closing my eyes with the effort to speak.

"That isn't true and it is not in my nature to lie so terribly as I have done," Lady Celestia says, rising to her feet. "Eli? Please take Ty and Ash to her family and treat her. I have not mended all of her injuries. Until then, I would like to speak to you and the leaders of both factions on this island. I plan to make amends."

"Of course, my Lady," Eli bowed as several medics came to my aid, hauling me on to stretcher. "But shouldn't we wait until Ty is ready to speak? Though the fault lies with the pirates and ninjas as well, they won't overlook her other actions and with the Wind Orb gone…"

"There is no need for that. I will take full responsibility." Lady Celestia's announcement made Eli and Ash do a double take.

"You'll what?" Eli gapes at the Lady and the look she gives him made it clear that there will be no arguments.

"If Ty is well enough to accompany me when the meeting is prepared, then she may come if she wishes."

"But I'm the one who should be talking!" I reason as the stretcher rises, hugging Lib closer to me so he wouldn't fall off. "This was my-"

"You're going to waste a free pass?" Lady Celestia asks, mischief dancing in her smile. "Now hurry along. At least sleep before we leave and please, give Miss Alison my regards."

The medics handling the stretcher move away as my answer died in my mouth. With Ash walking along side my stretcher, we move below deck and away from the accusing shine of the stars.

* * *

**Always Another Time: Side of D**

"My Lord, you have returned." I greet the cursed doomknight as he lands outside of the throne room. No matter how many times I was forced to kneel for the wretch, it was still a challenge to be able to hide my revulsion at the once-man until he sent me away.

Ignoring me, Sepulchure stares blankly into his throne room, unmoving.

What had happened? Did the Hero do something to him? Found a way to hit the sense out of his head? I might just have to congratulate her…among other things.

"YOU'RE LUCKY, PUPPET! HA, I KNOW YOU LOVE THAT NAME!" The sword laughs. Ha, so the Hero did rattle him. So a mere insulting name could put him in a stupor? Pathetic. "IT LOOKS LIKE THE HERO SURVIVED. I CAN SENSE IT!" The sword says, floating behind the doomknight.

"Survived, my Lord? Did you injure the Hero?" I ask and an unwanted thudding in my chest builds up. It was doing that a lot lately. My lungs became constricted and my heart's beating becomes irregular. It acted up especially around her. I must be sick. I better be sick.

"The Wind Orb." The doomknight growls, gazing down to me.

The gold Orb under my arm vibrates and slips out of my hold, floating to the doomknight and following after him when he steps into the throne room without another word.

Scowling, I rise back up, thinking of how nice it would be to plunge that talking sword into his back.

"The Hero…" I murmur, changing my thoughts back to our parting.

"HAS A VERY LARGE HOLE IN HER CHEST. YES!" The sword cackles, making me jump. "WHAT A FUNNY THING, THAT HERO. LUCKY FOR YOU, DRAKATH. SHE WON'T BE BOTHERING YOU UNTIL SHE PATCHES THAT HOLE UP. HAHAHAHAHA!"

"She survived? The Hero?" I turn to the sword, convincing myself that I was asking to lengthen the conversation and not out of interest towards her.

"BY A HAIR! CONGRATULATIONS ON GETTING THE WIND ORB BY THE WAY! ALL BY YOURSELF! NO ONE TO HELP! ALL ON YOUR OWN!" The sword laughs as it moves into the darkened throne room.

"All on my own," I nod, mind still on the Hero. "No one helped me."

The castle was leaving to return to roaming the mainland. Soon, I would be back on the ground until Sepulchure had need of me again. With my…accomplishment with the Wind Orb, he would call on me.

My throne; my right was still far away because of the failure with the Dragon Boxes. The doomknight had the nerve to dangle that blade in front of me and snatch it back when I had fulfilled my end of the deal. He had the savior dragon! That was enough to break the prophesy. If I had figured out how to use that Wind Orb, he'd be the one groveling with his once ally, the usurper.

It was her fault that I wasn't able to.

"T-Ta…Ty." I manage. For some reason, I found the name hard to say. Maybe it was because of how brutish it sounded. Just like its beastly owner. The entire island affair had been a nightmare and her sudden intrusion knocked it up to a physical inferno.

And yet.

"We have business to discuss, Hero." I mutter, glaring at the shrinking island before trudging back into the throne room.


	32. Why Do This-Part 1

**Side of D**

**-Directly after the defeat of Brakenberry and Honda-**

The palms of my gloves were shredded to pieces but, miraculously, no cuts. Only red marks marred my wrists. They could be likened to the rug burns that the children of plain folk got because their parents allowed them to crawl about on the filthy floor like rats.

Concentrating on my ruined gloves was a trivial concern but it was the least distressing matter in this waking nightmare I woke up to.

I remembered slamming into the crooked tree after the Hero and I were flung off of her blundering dragon. The black curtain of unconsciousness did not fall until after the screeching pain coursed through every last bone in my body.

Time had not eased the intensity of the aches. Or had any time passed at all? Through the palm leaves, the sky was still the shade of blue it was before I was knocked out and that meant-

"The orb!" I wheezed out a wet cough, gingerly rolling on to my stomach to push myself up.

There was still time. The wretched Hero and their dragon had the same rough landing I did. It was still possible to find those fiends and tear the Wind Orb out of their preferably dead fingers.

Once I began to hobble through the sandy jungle, leaning on the trees for support, several things were revealed to me. The first being that I was broken and torn in several places. Blood was dripping down my arm, leaving a near uniform trail of dark red drops behind me. I couldn't tell where the cuts were and that might have been for the better. As for broken bones, if only eight ribs had been broken, that would have been the best that had happened to me on this forsaken dirt pile of an island.

Two, I had no idea where I was going. When the Hero's wrist slipped from my grasp, I wasn't awake long enough to see which way she flew. Somehow, there was enough foliage left to make it too dense to see their slumbering dragon—if it had indeed remained in its adult form. It figured that the only thing that the Hero failed to succeed in their plans happened to hinder me as well. Everything just had to go her way somehow.

Three, I didn't even have my sword. When I went to feel for the hilt, all I grabbed was air. I was above petty sentiment but that sword had come from my home. The castle in the city that the peasants and the usurper King call Swordhaven.

In celebration of some no name dragonlord's victory, a weapon from my father's armory had been sent to a magic smith in Falconreach to renew the gift. A sword meant to be at the side of a King was to be given to a child of a villein. I could not allow that.

The news of the crime came to me not a moment too soon.

My men and I intercepted the carriage on its way through Surewood while others distracted the meddlesome ranger. It was a reasonably clean undertaking and once I had the sheathed sword in my hands, I allowed my bandits to do as they wished with the rest of our loot. The rumor among the commoners was that the gilded weapon mysteriously vanished, leaving not a trace.

Now, it was likely half buried in sand at the bottom of the ocean. The craftsmanship on that blade was rivaled by none but the rust would set in eventually.

The thought of the shining steel becoming rough, brown, and brittle made my teeth grind together.

At the least I could feel that all of my teeth were still there although the inside of my mouth felt grainy with sand. Forced to pause at one of the palm trunks to spit out a bloody wet glob of grit, I made the mistake of looking back to find that I hadn't strayed far from the dark red splattered spot I had landed on.

But there was no more time to dwell.

I had to get the Wind Orb no matter how much it hurt to breathe and keep my eyes open. Whether I could find another way to awaken its power or not, without the Orb…what would happen to me?

At best, Sepulchure would abandon me here because of my failure to retrieve the Orb and even then, I could end up stranded until I starved. Or until either the ninjas or pirates catch me and hand me over to Alteon's underlings.

There was the option of fighting but I had nothing with me. I would be practically defenseless against them and the Hero if she was awake. Though the admission was shameful, the Hero had proved time and time again that she could send me sprawling with nothing but her gloved hands and an infuriating smirk.

And didn't the hero's colossally stupid dragon swallow the Orb? How was I going to retrieve it? Could I really burrow into the oversized lizard like a lungworm to fish out the Orb?

With the dreary prospects of my success put in perspective, I couldn't find enough strength to push myself over to the next tree. It felt like the sand had swallowed me waist deep.

But then-

A rustle! Movement in the ferns up ahead. It could have been an animal or it could have been the wind but there was a chance that the Hero had fallen close by. A mere chance was more than enough to straighten my back and strengthen the steps I took toward the source of the noise.

There was white and bright red between the gaps of the greenery. My heart leaped, and I rushed to pull the leaves away.

The colours jumped out at me, roaring with claws outreached.

A spear-like talon raked across my chin as I fell backwards, tumbling hard on to the packed sand. Had I waited another moment to jerk away, I would have been lying lifeless on the ground with my throat ripped out instead of shivering beneath the shadow of the devil fox.

"You…you…" Okuchi no Okami panted harshly, back arched over from fatigue and pain. Red marked his white fur in all the wrong places. He may have escaped the explosion on the shore but it had left him in bloodied ribbons. "You ruined everything," the fox snarls, his lips pulled back with rivulets of blood dripping out from between his fangs.

Something caught in my throat. I couldn't breathe and every part of me had become stiff as cold stone. I didn't know what I was trying to say but it came out as a strangled wheeze.

The fox could sense the fear on my breath and he lunged at me.

Terror conquered shame and I scrambled away on my hands and knees. It must have been like watching a squealing pig flee from a butcher.

Okuchi no Okami lumbered after me. I was crawling as fast as I could manage, every part of me quivering in agonizing pain and choking panic, but the fox could easily keep pace by walking. He was enjoying this; watching his former customer clumsily dragging himself across the weed ridden ground.

The awareness of my impending death skulking after me had struck me blind. I couldn't see where I was going. Each stretch for the next patch of sand or fern stalk only prolonged the hopeless escape from the inevitable.

But I can't! Not here! Not now!

"I can't die here!"

The fox laughed at me, dry and biting as he stomped on the back of my shin.

I screamed for my life and tore my leg out from under his foot, pushing myself to move. My hand found a rock and, in mad desperation, I rolled on to my back and threw it in the fox's face.

The stone only managed to clip the beast's snout, leaving a deep bleeding scratch. It stalled the fox long enough to allow me to sit up and frantically back away into a tree.

"Ah!" the humiliating yelp was cut short by the fox kicking my chest. It felt like he had shoved my stomach up into my throat.

"It took years. Years!" Okuchi no Okami growled, punctuating it with another kick. Blood flew from my mouth and splattered on to his leg. I could hardly feel it through the fog of suffering.

Somehow, there was still a defiant part of me left alive. When the fox pulled back his foot for another kick, I forced myself off the tree to slump on to my side. Okuchi no Okami hit palm bark instead and he yapped in surprise.

In my pained delirium, I could feel the sides of my mouth pulling up in a little smile. Lamentably, it was short lived. The moment I tried to get up again, one huge clawed paw trapped my neck in its grasp and pinned me down.

"Twenty long years of searching, waiting, and planning. All of it wasted!" The fox spoke, crushing my neck. Scratching at his paws only made his hold tighten. A frightened gargle was squeezed out of me as my heart urgently pounded in my ears. My throat, lungs, and eyes were burning; straining against the deprivation of air. I reached out desperately to find anything to hold on to before my fingers go numb; a stick, another rock, anything would do but there was only sand.

"I was about to become a god on this island! I was about to become a god of this world!" he shouted, shaking me witless. "All of that power could have been mine!"

Nothing was working! Kicking and squirming proved to be a waste of precious energy under the beast.

No…not a waste.

It was all a futile struggle.

With the last vivid colors of life flashing wildly in my quickly fading vision, I realized that I was going to die in a nameless jungle, gaping up at my murderer like a suffocating fish.

"Everything was ruined because of you," the fox continued, his words becoming calmer as my thrashing became feeble. I could barely hear him anymore or even see him through the black blots spreading across my vision. The waking world was becoming a fading dream.

"If it weren't such a disaster, I would have thought this to be a joke. To think, all of my endeavors have been ruined by a puny—" The fox slammed my head against the ground, intending to crack it open like an egg.

"Groveling—" He does it again.

"Weak-willed—" And again.

"Coward."

Silence.

The fox's insults become silence.

For a moment, I saw Okuchi no Okami's pupils twitch before going dull and still. Warmth falls on to my neck and the fox's grasp began to fall away.

Though my body was literally dying for air, I could do nothing but stare at the silver blade shoved through Okuchi no Okami's neck.

"I would say 'sorry' but we were only temporary business partners," a voice from behind Okuchi no Okami spoke with contempt.

When the blood began to gush freely from the fatal wound, sense returned to me and I started coughing and wheezing. The tepid tropical air surged back into my heaving chest. Any other time, I found it uncomfortable and sticky but now, it was pure sweet nectar.

The corpse of the once dreaded demon fox was thrust to the side, falling dead with a final thump. He may have twitched for a minute but I couldn't tell. It took some time before he, the jungle, and my savior became more than just blurs.

My focus came to rest on my savior first. The sharpening shape was dressed in pristine white. Red was draped over their body. And, to my terror, the blues of their eyes were like sharpened blades, narrowing at the fox's body. When those eyes turned to me, I could see them soften.

"Drakath?" Ty sheathed her sullied sword to come to my side. With no care to our positions, the girl kneeled beside me. "Are you hurt?"

Was she expecting me to answer her? What kind of a fool was she? I had just been strangled! Of course I'm hurt! I could barely keep my gasping under control let alone reply to her idiotic question! Had she come even a sliver of an instant later I would have…

I would have…

I…

"Drakath?" Ty called to me again.

My hand flew up to cover my burning face and stinging eyes.

It was humiliating, not being able to do anything but lay there in the most unbecoming position trying to collect myself while Ty sat and watched.

My body was still recovering from the shock. It was like that horrid fox was still wringing my neck. I couldn't do anything to slow my rapid breathing besides biting down on my lip and letting the air rush through my nose.

Closing my eyes, I counted the passing seconds in the darkness behind my eyelids. It was a huge mistake. Recent memories began to replay; none did anything to help pacify me.

The order to retrieve the Wind Orb came first. Then the harrowing sprint through Kordana's halls. The deal with my would-be murderer. Finding Ty on the beach. Meeting her again after days huddling in that flooded cave. The Orb taking us to meet the disgusting pirates. The farce of a fight. Ty's hand in mine when the ship exploded. Being forced to face that Guardian, the fox, and the pirate captain. The chaos of out in the water. Having to hold on to Ty while her dragon fought off the giants.

And now, here.

It all came back to Ty. It always came back to Ty. It was her fault. All of it! If it weren't for her, I would never have had to come to this damnable island.

This meddling peasant's life goal was to destroy mine! Every touch, each look, anything she did was to bring me closer and closer to the edge of ruin.

And yet-

"Ah? What's going on?" Ty shuffled in her spot, having either heard or spotted something happening elsewhere. She made to stand but found her wrist trapped in my hold.

"…Don't," I shuddered, gripping her wrist tight enough to leave bruises. "Please," the traitorous slip of the tongue was muffled behind my hand but Ty heard it nonetheless.

A dreadful beat of uncertainty fell. I was completely convinced that Ty would laugh at my weakness and leave me here alone. Maybe kick me for good measure. I know I would have.

But, in a disgustingly gentle and comforting motion, Ty placed her other hand over mine. It was a firm clasp; meaning that she was there to stay.

Right then, I hiccupped and I couldn't stifle the next. Holding on to Ty's wrist for dear life, I allowed myself to let all of the fear, frustration, and anger flow out of me.

I was alive. That was what mattered. The fox was dead and I was alive. I was breathing, able to grip Ty's wrist until it hurt; able to feel her warm pulse against my palm.

The recovery may have taken seconds, minutes, or even hours to finish but Ty did not move the entire time. I felt not a single twitch or a wriggle from her and once I knew I was done, thoughts all in line and body stilled, I had enough anger left over to turn at her.

"Hn?" Ty tipped her head to the side, regarding me when I uncovered my face. Her mouth spread into a pleasant smile, seemingly pleased to see me sit up in slightly better health. "Shall we go then, Princey?"

A shot of fury rushed through me and my fist flew at her.

The conniving bitch had enough mind to dodge and let my blow fly over her shoulder but not enough to keep me from shoving her to her back. A clear cringe of pain crossed her features and I took a little relish in that.

I was still hurt and aching but rage overcame that. It always does.

"Why?" I shouted at her with my knee on her stomach and my hands holding her shoulders down.

"If I didn't kill him, you would have died." Ty answered easily, reminding me of the stiffening carcass lying beside us. How could I forget? I was soaked in Okuchi no Okami's life blood.

But that wasn't what I was asking about.

"Oh? Did you mean why I saved you?" She said, noticing that my frown hadn't changed. "I'm the Hero. That's what everyone says. It's my job to save people."

"Stop it. That's a lie!"

It looked like she was about to protest but Ty thought better of it and that stupid smile returned.

"Okay, you got me," She kept grinning, finding all of this to be a huge joke, "It's too bad really. If everything had gone according to plan, we could have kept working together but oh well. This Lore is a big place and he isn't the only information broker in the world."

"Then why?" I shouted again. "Why did you save me? What do you want from me?"

"Nothing. I just didn't want you to die."

"Liar! You want something. Everyone does!" How stupid did she think I was? We were enemies. Mortal enemies. Ty was no Hero; not in the usual definition. She wanted something. Perhaps it was information on the location of the other orbs. Gold even. Or maybe a promise to stop attacking her Falconreach. It had to be anything but-

"I didn't want you to die."

Anything but that.

"That's all. I didn't want you to die," I refused to believe the sincerity she had even though it was oozing from every cursed word Ty spoke, "If I wanted anything, it was to see you again. Tomorrow too. And the day after. And the day after that. And the day after that." The girl's relieved tone made me shiver.

"No. You want something more from me. You saved me because you want me to be indebted to you," I argued but that only made Ty confused.

"You mean I couldn't have saved you just because I like you?"

"I told you to stop lying!" I snapped, throat dry. It sounded more like a croak than anything threatening.

"I'll say it as many times as I need to. You don't owe me anything. I helped you because…oh," Ty reached up to touch the deep scratch on the side of my jaw. It wasn't bleeding as much as it was before but if I didn't tend to it soon, there would be a scar left.

Ty had placed her fingers below the mark. It stung badly but my focus had been taken away by something more urgent. Namely, our incriminating situation.

Crouched over Ty like this, I began to list worthless details in my head.

When we had last met on the mainland, Ty had her hair cut shorter. I hated it. The change made her look younger than she already was. Too young. It hid too much of the monster she truly was. It may have grown out half an inch or so since then but the sight still grated on me along with her too thin lips and slightly rounded cheeks.

Worst of all were her eyes. They were too blue to be real and the wrong shade of blue. They were not the sea or the sky above. They were ice; cold and sharpness always lurking under a guise of playful innocence.

Having such a distasteful gaze on me, concern in them matching the curve of her worried frown, made my skin burn.

Pushing off of Ty, I stood only to have my knees give. Back on the dirty ground, wearied and sickened by the so-called Hero, I turned away and spat, "Leave me. You…saved me and now there's nothing else for you to do."

I heard Ty stand. The previous fights may have injured her but from how she got up without any hesitation, there was no telling if that had actually been true.

"Will I see you again?" Ty asked and I thought about laughing.

Without the Orb, I was done for. There was the option of overpowering Ty to make up for my losses but there was no point entertaining myself with the idea that we were equal in battle prowess. The only reason I was able to pin her was because she had allowed me.

"You know, I don't think now is the right time to clear things up between us," Ty spoke when she realized I wasn't going to respond. "We can meet later and talk then. Really talk if it's bothering you that much."

Even if I wasn't in a dire situation, the notion of a planned heart to heart was absurd.

"Besides, I'm worn out. After all that bullshit back there beating on me, I can't think straight. I can barely walk straight," She said and I felt a cool breeze brush against the back of my neck. "Who knows what I might forget."

Something fell behind me. I could feel its weight shake the ground.

Perplexed, I dared a look over my shoulder and I almost swallowed my tongue.

There, with Ty steadily on her way out of the jungle, was the Wind Orb. Honey hued clouds swirled within the glass, glowing warmly on me.

It could have been a trap. In all likeliness, it was an obvious trap and I would have been a fool to take it but what else could I do?

Strength flooded back into my legs as I gathered the mystical Orb in my arms.

Somewhere not too far, a familiar rattling roar filled the skies and I knew I had to leave. Back upright, I cast one last glance at Ty's fluttering red cape and caught sight of a pair of strangers entering the jungle to find her. One who resembled a ghost and the other, the blond I encountered on Blackberry's ship after it crashed on the beach.

I couldn't see his face clearly or see Ty's face at all but I could feel it in my gut…Both were smiling at me.

Glaring one more time at the girl, I swiveled and hurried through the jungle brush to where Sepulchure was awaiting me, the Wind Orb held securely under my arm.

* * *

**Why Do This?**

**Side of T**

**-Present-**

For the past couple of weeks, I thought I had been running around on an island filled with people out to kill me. And now? I'm on a dinky little boat filled with people who definitely want to kill me.

"So," I begin as I lay against a soft pillow at the back of the boat. My chest still hurt like hell and every little bob the boat does makes it sting.

"So," Heiji repeats, clutching a fishing rod tightly as he leers at me. The ninja had just been released from the prison I had thrown him in indirectly.

"So," Hideyoshi coughs, sitting on the other side of the boat. His face was so bandaged up, you could hardly recognize that there was an asshole under all that.

"So, I caught another one!" Tomoe chimes, fishing out a piece of orange tentacle with his net. Despite his plans being ruined, the guy didn't really mind. I was told recently that this was routine. In this group, he was the token psychopath. A role I previously thought was held by his sister.

"Sou ka? " Yumiko adds, peering at me from behind her brother.

"I not be knowing what that means, lass," Chiffon the pirate scratches his balding head from another little boat adjacent to us. Next to him was a pile of giant squid guts and a couple of shellfish. Considering how much of a wuss he was back during the clash of titans, he wasn't bothered by the pile twitching every now and then. Maybe Blackberry being dead helped with that.

Beside him sat Ennosoke. He was the opposite.

"Would you stop with the random bullshit already?" Ennosoke shouts, angrily reeling in another mangled piece of Blackberry, "Hey, dragon! You could have at least ripped this thing into bigger chunks. We're going to be here forever!"

In reply, Lib, who had been flying around near Chiffon's boat, zips by and slaps the back of the ninja's head with his tail hard enough to slam Ennosoke's face into the floor of the boat before saying "Choke on a hyena bean." He must have overheard Alison arguing with Eric when he scolded her for being an irresponsible guardian.

I don't know what she has to do but since it was my fault for destroying the island and the ninjas and that pirate were at fault for breaking their factions' rules and attacking me, we were stuck on clean up duty.

Honestly, we all got off real easy thanks to a combination of factors relating to my very useful status of knight of King Alteon, the pirate's status of living within a town of criminals, and the ninjas' fear of being blamed for instigating a war.

Even with that, all of us still wouldn't have escaped a heavy punishment if it weren't for Eric's wordplay. Thanks to him, he convinced everyone to keep the details vague from my liege.

"While it would be the right thing to do to inform the honorable King of what has occurred, please consider this. The actions of your ninjas were just rash decisions of your headstrong young ones but if I were the King, I would think to myself 'who's to say it won't happen again? What if this is another trick. After all, they are a town of assassins. Let's keep an eye on them.' And for the pirates, that water breathing potion heist and every other item down to the tiniest crumb of bread you that you stole is going to be considered when they come to visit. Did they know about the existence or location of Osprey Cove before? Hmm? And as for the valiant guardians and adventurers of Falconreach, all it took was a badly forged letter for you to declare all-out war. Ah such a nice town, Falconreach. Filled with diligent and sensible people.

Have I made myself clear? We're all on the side of a mountain connected by a rope tied around our necks. One strung by our own making. If one falls, everyone falls with them."

That meeting consisted of Thyton, Rhubarb, Eli, Lady Celestia, and Eric; the people who knew the disaster down to the last sour detail. I can understand Rhubarb and Thyton complying but Eli? I didn't expect him to bend so easily but if word did get back to Alteon, he wouldn't be guardian for much longer. If Eric gave him that speech, my brother must have known that he would agree. It could have been because there is no one else as good as Eli to lead the guardians in Falconreach. Or it might be because Eli likes his position more than his record of honorable honesty. Either way, it's not my business to know.

It would be the right thing to do to inform Alteon but everyone would lose too much.

We're all just going to work together to fix as much as we can and hopefully, what really happened can remain at the bottom of the sea, unlike Blackberry.

"Why do I have to be here? Watashi no sei ja nai." Yumiko grumbles, forgetting that for some reason they had decided to make her supervise us. Is she a second form of punishment?

All of us ignore her and go silent, carefully observing each other. The matter of settling the dispute between the three factions had been finished but there were still personal grudges to brood on. Maybe over a cup of each other's blood.

And we were left alone in the middle of the ocean. Wouldn't it be terrible that after all that's happened, someone falls overboard and drowns with a mysterious amount of heavy objects tied to their ankles? Such a god damn shame.

"Look, I have a hole in my chest and this has been one of the most awful experiences I have ever gone through," I finally say, wriggling on my pillow. "But you hit first. Then I hit back. And then some other asshole hit me for you. Are we all good with calling this even? Even Stevens even?"

Heiji narrows his eyes but doesn't bother looking at me. "Even Stevens," He says, wanting to move on as fast as he could.

"Even Stevens," Tomoe and Hideyoshi add in quickly afterwards. The former sounding incredibly chipper and the other so flat, I was wondering if he was undead, "Is that a saying from where you come from? Cause that reference flew right over my head."

"Pretty sure you used that pun somewhere already," Ennosoke groans, recasting his line, "but I'll call Even Stevens too. Whoever he is. But seriously? I'd rather have Tomoe dead, Heiji in prison, and Hideyoshi and his sister stuffed half in your bag and half in the ground. You didn't even need to give me hell for what I did. I'm already down there."

"What is this 'hell' you be speaking of?" Chiffon wrinkles his nose, confused by Ennosoke's ranting.

"I am Even Stevens ja nai yo!" Yumiko yells, standing to prove her point and almost flipping the boat in the process, "this was all of you guys' fault and I had to be dragged into it! And you're even letting her sit there doing nothing! Hide wa baka! Heiji wa baka! Oniii-chan wa BAAAAKKAAAAAA-"

"Whoopsie," Tomoe leans forward hard and rocks the boat, messing up his sister's balance. The innocent smile was still plastered over his face when Yumiko splashes into the water, "The waves sure are rough today," he notes, pushing his sister's head below the surface with his net, "Shhh, everything's going to be fine." He shushes just as Yumiko grabs a hold of the net and jerks her brother into the water. They begin to struggle against each other. Hopefully their thrashing would lure any of the remaining galeocerda.

Sitting back to watch them would have been nice but Yumiko did have a point.

"Give me that," I grumble, reaching for Heiji's fishing rod.

Heiji hesitates, watching me struggle to sit up with carefully hidden amusement. I would have socked him one in the chin if my chest wasn't screaming at me to stop and if it was worth it. Eventually, he moves to pass me the fishing rod when I fall back in my seat for the third time.

"Asshole," I snatch the rod out of his hand but then Hideyoshi shoots his hand out to grab the rod. I tug on the fishing pole defiantly but the ninja doesn't move and Heiji just watches.

"You shouldn't fish," He says as my attempts to take the rod were rendered feeble by the jabbing pains I feel in my chest, "Just leave the gathering to us."

"Lass…" Chiffon coughs as Lib finishes chewing on a twitching piece of flesh to poke his head over the side of the boat.

The sounds of the ocean ceased then. Even the splashes Tomoe and Yumiko were stirring up came to a stop. I could sense everyone's eyes on me and it didn't feel like it was just the people in the boats. It was like the sea and the sky were gawking at us, petrified in suspense of what might come next. A shouting fight? More broken bones? An explosion?

To be honest, I'm tired. I'm just tired of all of that. Everyone was tired of all of that.

"It's fine," I sigh, my grip still on the rod and Hideyoshi's eyes widen at the tone, "Seriously, it's fine. Let go. Let it go, we're fine. We are fine, right?"

Lips pressed in a thin white line, Hideyoshi nods and lets his hand slip away from the rod and sound returns to the world. Tomoe and Yumiko go back to fighting, Ennosoke and Heiji start yelling at each other, Chiffon feeds some octo-bits he mashed earlier to Lib for him to chew easier, and Hideyoshi and I almost float off our boat.

Weird how just a couple of words could make someone feel so light. You wouldn't think it'd be that easy but I guess the hard part was just getting them out.

Course, I'd still rather shit a knife than be here but at least the salty breeze feels nice again.

"Hey, do you think it's really okay to eat this?" Hideyoshi asks as I cast a line over to another bright chunk of Blackberry. "Isn't this technically cannibalism?"

"Blackberry wasn't human anymore. He barely passed for one before he turned into the Braken," Shrugging, I feel the hook catch on something. Something very heavy. With some strain, I begin to reel the line in, "Besides, selling these 'novelties' will bring enough money in to fix both your towns. What's left over can be eaten. That's more than the giant ice cube over there can do for you."

Both of us glance at the frozen guardian over on the beach. A couple of mages were trying to melt him down with their fire spells. Lib would have been able to melt Honda down yesterday if he started but if he sneezed too hard, the largest paperweight in Lore was going to turn into the largest mound of overdone meat in the universe. Having to eat octobeard for the next fifty years was enough on its own without a side of crispy Honda steaks. They'd be salty with ninja tears anyways.

"That isn't food," Hideyoshi says once I pull my catch out from the water. I couldn't reply right away; I was too busy stuck in an astounded stupor.

Hanging from my rod was a tousled red coat. Bits of the Braken's guts were clinging to the cloth but if it had just been the coat, I would be laughing. Not struck speechless.

Entangled in the red jacket was a gilded sword. The blade shone brilliantly in the sun; more impressive in the hold of a waterlogged coat than in the hands of its owner.

"No…No it isn't," I nod and sharing a look, Hideyoshi and I unhook the amazingly lucky catch. We wring out the red jacket together and lay it flat on the mostly dry floorboards of the boat to dry. As for the sword, I took my blankets and wrapped them around the sword before setting it to rest by my side.

"This is surely a sign," Hideyoshi nods, alight with wonder.

"From who?"

"Perhaps one of the ocean gods are sending a blessing. A find such as that cannot be by mere chance. It could be a message. A sword wrapped in the coat of a pirate found by an adventurer of Falconreach and a ninja of the Shadow of the Wind Village obviously means 'to wrap up the conflict between enemies,'" The ninja concludes, losing all interest in fishing. Heiji gives him a whack on the head for that.

"Didn't you just unwrap the sword? Great work, Hideyoshi," Heiji jeers but Chiffon, listening in from the other boat, leans over to add his piece.

"Lass, it be clear yer plannin' on sailing home wit' that booty," The pirate says, grabbing our boat to pull it closer. It almost capsizes them but Lib was quick to grab the pirate's collar with his teeth to pull them back into balance, "Er, maybe yer ninja god wants ye to take the war from our shores?"

"How poetic! And from a pirate too," Tomoe notes from beside them just before Yumiko drags him back under.

"Me pirate brothers and I sin' some mighty fine shanties, I'll be havin' ye know. Just as bonny as yer hakus," Chiffon protests fall on clogged ears.

"Haiku." Ennosoke corrects.

"Just as bonny as yer haikus."

"Have you seen this water god?" I ask Hideyoshi as the others went back to their conversations.

"No but I've heard stories," the ninja answers, "Why do you ask?" The question makes my mouth twist and seeing that, Hideyoshi looks back to the waters, not wanting to make me uncomfortable.

"I'm sorta glad you said that," I answered, snapping his head back towards me, "it means that there could be a god out there who was pissed off enough about everyone fighting that they took a jacket, wrapped it around a sword, and stuck it on my fishing hook to send a message."

"You were expecting something else?"

"I expected you to say the fates brought us together. That there's a bigger picture or higher force that wants to steer us somewhere," I bit my cheek as I cast my line again.

"Is that…a terrible thing?"

"Is your life yours?"

"…Yes?"

"Ugh, maybe that was a bad question," I cringe. Talking like this always makes me as uncomfortable as sitting next to a boiling pot of pig shit, "Hn, do you think our mistakes here were made because we were led by a higher force like fate?"

Hideyoshi pauses but the moment passes in less time than I thought it would.

"Before we met, I would have agreed wholeheartedly but now I realize—" He looks up at the smoldering island, "In saying that, I would be throwing the responsibility away. It is an easy way out and excuses my behavior. Furthermore, what sort of force would have wrought this destruction just to teach what should have been a shamefully easy lesson?"

His shoulders droop and I feel a twinge in my stomach. My hand moves before I became conscious of it. It goes to rest on the ninja's right arm.

"We were…all of us were at fault," I am proud of myself for admitting that with only a slight pained sensation. Still, I think passing kidney stones would be better than this.

There was more to say. I know there is but I wasn't sure what they were supposed to be. But this was a good time for confessing, right? Maybe the pirate and the ninjas didn't need to hear this but I needed to hear myself say it, "I—"

"—You mean you two and that pirate were. I only went along because Hideyoshi made me," Heiji interrupts and I could have kissed him for giving me more time with myself.

"Then jump out and drown if you don't think you deserve to be here, douchemonkey!" Ennosoke slings a piece of barely sashimi grade flesh at his friend. A mini-food fight ensues while I contemplate if Lore actually had douches around. Literal douches you install in a bathroom. Were they magical? If so, which wizard's hands do I need to shake? Preferably with rubber gloves and a gas mask.

"If not a sign from a god," Hideyoshi takes my attention again once the rest of this motley crew join in on the fight, "what do you suppose it was?"

"No one ever accepts 'chance' as an answer anymore and I like your idea better. Maybe an ocean god or a water elf or whoever else lives down there got angry enough over all the gunfire flashes, loud noises, and sunken debris to send us a passive aggressive message," I smile at him and the ninja looks like he was about to jump out of his skin, "Didn't I say that we were Even Stevens?"

"Yes but I have never seen you smile," Hideyoshi is close to stammering.

"And I've hardly seen you without your regular 'my balls just got bitten off' frown."

Hideyoshi couldn't decide whether to gasp, laugh nervously, or cough. He does all three instead and sinks himself into a little fit.

"It is better this way," The ninja clears his throat and I could only agree.

* * *

Our timing was perfect.

The moment we caught all the stray pieces of Blackberry that weren't already eaten or diluted by the sea in the form of fish poop, the farewell party had already formed on the shore. All three of them and that was a huge relief.

Getting stared down once by all of those pissed off pirates and ninjas was enough for the next lifetime. There were better things they were doing with their time. The construction sounds nearby say as much. Some of the other adventurers were going to stay and help the temporarily joined factions too. Besides that being what a good Hero should do, picking up some pirate or ninja tricks along the way was a pretty bonus.

"Our deepest of apologies," Thyton bows to Lady Celestia.

Rhubarb may never see eye to eye with the ninja clan's leader willingly but this time, somewhere out in the vast reaches of Lore, pigs were flying. Wait, this is Lore. Flying pigs probably isn't such a big thing. Flying sneevils then? Nah, sounds mundane for this place too. Uh, Lady Celestia finding dumping her tea stores in a lake? Ash not being mad at me? Cysero revealing that his eyes are actually portals to an endless void -

Look, what I'm trying to say is that Rhubarb bows to the Priestess too.

"Aye, to the both of ye. Our deepest o' regrets."

"Ah, both?" I echo as I limp slowly over to the three with Libérta coming to rest on the beach instead of on my shoulder.

"The Hero, Ty?" At first I thought it was Lady Celestia who spoke but when she turns to face me, it was the small metal box resting on her palms that continues, "Good to see you again."

"Kordana!" I exclaim, recognizing the emotive metallic voice immediately. I wasn't surprised that she ended up converted into a new shape but I was surprised that the job had been completed so fast and that she was with Lady Celestia. There was no need for faking this time, "You're here! I'm… I'm so sorry!" The moment I bow, Hideyoshi and Chiffon rush up to do the same. The latter falls on his nose and ends pulling himself up into a crouch.

"Our lack of diligence and regard has permitted the Dark One and his underlings to escape with the Jewel of the Four Winds. There is no way to properly show our regret."

I wasn't happy that Hideyoshi spoke for all of us but it did cut down how much I need to say.

"It was my fault. I dropped the Orb and it was taken and I wasn't looking and—"

"Beating up yourself isn't going to do any good," Kordana cut in gently, "Same to the rest of you fellows," she acknowledges the other ninjas and pirate. Excluding Tomoe and Yumiko of course. Tomoe shrugs with a content grin and Yumiko, who had technically done nothing wrong, gives his mouth the punch it was asking for, "There are still many things to thank you for. Letting me have the chance move around for one!"

"The thanks should be saved for my sister. She's a very good mage isn't she?"

"Yes, an amazing mage indeed. Magic is such an amazing force," Kordana says with an invisible robotic wink that everyone could see. Does she not have a subtlety drive? "With this new portable body, it will be easier for me to help you."

"And that gives me a new conversational partner as well," Lady Celestia says.

"There is so much to talk about. And so many people to see again! After I locate the other Orbs of course—"

"Ehem," the Lady coughs, prompting Kordana to clam up her speakers.

"Other Orbs?" I venture.

"A talk for another coming time. Guardian Eli has prepared our ride home," Lady Celestia looks over my shoulder to an approaching ship. A smaller boat was beached nearby with an oarsman waiting to take us away. It didn't look like he wanted to be there for much longer. Who could blame him? Blackberry was a gross, smelly, and semi-moist sneak when he was alive. That didn't change after he became a gigantic dead pile of meat threatening to tumble over the poor man.

Hideyoshi taps me on the shoulder, tearing me away from the distraction.

I wasn't prepared as I thought I would be when he passes the folded red jacket over.

The deceased Captain's coat weighs heavy in my arms. I didn't know why I decided that I was going to be the one to hand it to its rightful owner but…

"This is better than a plain goodbye," I bow my head slightly as I walk to Rhubarb, offering the warmed jacket.

It stays untouched on my sweating hands. Chiffon coughs nervously and I swear, my brain had boiled and becomes the steam rushing out of my ears.

"What? Do you expect me to say something else?" I glower up at the stoic, straight laced pirate. Rhubarb was not a name that fit him at all. Nothing about him was sweet or forgiving as that funny red celery.

But why would he be forgiving to me in the first place? Being a pirate aside, albeit with a high code of honor, he had directed me, stood up for me, saved my life, and when most of the truth came out, he didn't shoot me in head.

I owe him more than a wrinkly jacket.

It would have made sense to lay all of that out but I couldn't pass it through my quivering lips.

"Here," I take the black pistol from its holster and slap it on top of the folded jacket, "my regards to the craftsman but I don't think it's right for my hands."

The jacket and pistol were removed then but before I could sigh and step back, Rhubarb pushes the pistol back into my hold.

"What?"

"Do ye remember what I said when we first came to meet?" Rhubarb asks and I went blank.

Rhubarb had said a lot of things when we walked through Osprey's docks and rum soaked paths but there was one bit that stuck out the most.

You have them eyes. The eyes of a killer…fer a youngin…

"Maybe…hn," I pause, glancing down at the sand. From the corner of my eye, I spot the dent I kicked into Thyton's shin guard. Figures that after coming out of a war with hardly a scratch, an over the top whiny tantrum almost broke his leg.

"I'm not so sure if what you said was right or not. I don't go looking for that if it was what you meant but maybe—" I find the nerve to look Rhubarb and Thyton in the eye, "—maybe I should act younger and build up carefully from there."

The way I worded that promise sounded immensely better and, ironically, more mature in my head but the message goes through all the same.

There was nothing more to say for both of us or anyone else for that matter.

Rhubarb slides his arms through the sleeves of the captain's crimson coat and I had to say, Captain Rhubarb had a ring to it. Probably wouldn't be the name of cereal I would eat but I'd recommend it to anyone who asks. That sounds terrible over all actually. I take that poorly constructed compliment back.

Lady Celestia gently places her hand on my shoulder, Thyton, Rhubarb, and I share a nod as I placed the pistol on to my belt. At the last minute, I flash a tight smile at the other ninjas and the pirate since Hideyoshi had said that it was better.

Then, the priestess and I board the boat and the oarsman rows us to the awaiting ship. In my opinion, the less time it takes to get the fuck out of here, the better.

Of course, by the time I was getting helped on to the deck, I realize that I forgot something.

"You didn't say 'so long' to your cute goateed pirate friend," My brother, Eric, reads my mind as he pulls me up after Lady Celestia. Seeing my older brother's golden hair had shot an image of a disappointed Meringue to mind.

Or he wouldn't care. He shouldn't care. He should be overjoyed that the menace to his fair pirate cove had left for good.

"I forgot. So what?" I grunt, chest smarting from the effort to get up, "the faster I forget all of that bull, the quicker I can move on."

"Forget?" Eric steps aside, revealing that Ash had come to…I'm not sure what he had been planning to say when he came up to see me but by his unforgiven and sharp tone, there was going to be no mercy.

Ash stands there, the day after he had sobbed that we weren't friends anymore, with his lips in a taut frown, and his cheeks ablaze with a cherry sheen.

Clenched in his white-knuckled hands was an unlidded jar filled with a clear gelatinous goop. When the right amount of sweaty uncomfortable seconds tick by, the goop climbs up to the lip of the jar and tugs on Ash's worn and salty shirt.

"Hey, maybe you shouldn't get so worked up," the goop suggests in a voice that, oddly enough, was sincerely concerned. Well, as sincere as Alison could ever get. Being forced into her 'recovery form' after her loss against Captain Rhubarb could have had something to do with it.

"I'm fine," he snaps at Alison with enough bite to make her soupy form slip back into the bottom of her jar. "I just can't believe it," Ash continues, swapping his attention back to me, "You come here, literally cut Sho'Nuff in half, nearly kill everyone, and destroy their homes instead but you want to forget all about it?"

I found out right then and there that when Ash gets mad enough, he perfectly resembles a hamster with its cheeks puffed out. It would have been something to laugh myself into tears over if his anger weren't directed at me and so deadly serious.

"Did you learn anything about what you did wrong?" Ash demands, the passion in his shout turning heads all over the ship. It shakes me enough to make me wince and clutch at my shirt.

All at once, the hot air in Ash's head rushes out. Glancing around at the amazed audience of guardians and adventures littered about the ship, the angry red flush becomes mild and sheepish. Glancing back my way, the beginning of another sentence forms on his tongue but he quickly clamps down on them, turns his back on me, and leaves for the passenger quarters.

Ash trips before he can make it to the door, spilling the Alison slime all over the deck.

"S-Sorry, Alison," He apologizes as he sweeps my sister's goopy form back into the jar along with a mess of sand, spit shine, and hairs before sneaking through a door.

I had to wait until all the eyes on board had lost their interest in the sorry kid who looked like she got elbowed in the stomach by her mother. That's me if you couldn't tell.

When I was mostly sure that everyone went back to swabbing the decks and pulling ropes or whatever you do on a ship, I turn and get ready to kick the shit out of the railing. Since it didn't have a beating heart or a family that could shed tears, no one was gonna cry for it.

But my feet were lead. I couldn't lift them and I swear, if I found the energy to fling myself off the ship, I would sink so fast, the pressure change would make my head go off like a champagne popper; meaty ribbons and all.

I had to settle with leaning over the railing instead. Really, being seasick and vomiting into that stupidly clear sparkling water would have been nice. Fuck, Blackberry coming back as a wraith to stab me would have been amazing. Anything to take my mind away from here.

"Or some thinking time would do you good," Eric pats my back as the manufactured wind picks up, pushing the ship back towards Aika Village. Last time I checked, Eric didn't have three hands so feeling them rest on my shoulders was confusing.

"You're such a loser, Butterbrain," Lib climbs up my back to swat two of the hands away. The first belongs to Eric and the second belongs to Patch. The pirate snuck up on me when I wasn't paying attention. Gods, I hope he didn't see me getting pouty.

The remaining hand was Lady Celestia's and she motions back to the shore.

"Speaking of good, it seems like someone was in a rush to say goodbye to you—"

A bang goes off and Lady Celestia ducks. Alarmed, I lean over the rail again and peer towards the shore.

There was Meringue, with a pistol in hand, on the shore waving his arms wildly. So wildly that he accidentally backhands Chiffon into Thyton. I didn't wave back right away so he fires off some more shots into the air. Some plop into the water but one lucky stray bullet hits Heiji's foot. Rather than help the crying ninja, the others go to subdue Meringue before he can hurt anyone else.

I wasn't sure what I was thinking but I reach for my own pistol, point it up at the sky, and shoot. The shot rings crisp and clear as smoke rises from the barrel of my gun.

Assured that I had seen him, Meringue waves to me again and just before he was tackled into the sand, I saw a shiny glint. Back in Osprey, I didn't check to see if he had any silver or gold teeth but I'm completely sure that he was been grinning.

"And they say I'm the crazy idiot," I shake my head, smiling despite of myself.

The bullet I shot picks that moment to catch the breeze and curve back towards the ship. Of all the places it had to hit, it ricochets off of Eli's helmet and lodges itself into a nearby barrel.

"That's because you are a crazy idiot," Lib smacks the back of my head with his silver tail. I swear, I was gonna strangle the pest with it.

"Fuck!" My brother and several other bystanders rush to the barrel acting like whatever was gushing out of the barrel was supposed to be kept from Eli.

"It's exactly what you're thinking," Eric brushes past me, ruffling my black hair as he, excuse the rotten pun, barrels past me.

The gun was still in my hand when Eli gets knocked aside by Eric. Lady Celestia takes that distraction as a chance to pluck the gun off of my person.

"Guardian Eli," Lady Celestia greets him as he approaches, "Apologies for the commotion. This device had more of a kick than I thought it would. So much power in such a beautiful work." She turns the black stylized pistol over in her hands before returning it back to me.

Eli hesitates, eyeing Lady Celestia, the pistol, and my own flushed face.

"My Lady," He places his hand over his heart and bows to Lady Celestia, "Have you spoken with the Hero of the prophecy?" Eli says, acting like I wasn't there.

Noticing that I began to stiffen, Lady Celestia takes Eli's arm in a manner that a noble lady would walk with her knight.

"That matter should be saved for a private time," she advises, peeking back at me as I mouth to her my thanks, "for now, I heard that one of the mages received messages from Swordhaven and Amityvale. Shall we attend to those?"

"Of course," Eli replies, letting Lady Celestia lead him away to the wheel.

That left me with Lib and Patch.

To be completely and shamefully honest, I was terrified to turn to face the pirate; the friend I had vowed to avenge.

Look how that turned out.

And if anyone says 'it turned out swell' like a smug son of a cow fucker, I will skin that cow fucker and wave its bloody hide in his fucking face.

My throat was dry and swallowing was a pain. I had nothing to say to Patch. Nothing at all and that was awful. An apology would have been fine if it was for any sad situation that was not attempted mass genocide in his name.

Maybe I should spit that out. Scream it, get it over with, run, hide, and never show my face again. It'll be like ripping the bandage off of a burn.

"Patch—" I start but I feel a soft tug on a strand of my hair.

"Only been a few weeks an' yer hair's grown faster than a barnacle rash on a spotless pebble," Patch says, despite my hair only growing out far enough to tickle the join of my neck and shoulder. "Would ye mind letting me give ye a trim? The sun be fine and don't think anyone be lettin' ye work with that big scratch on yer chest."

"Uh I-I don't. We should probably…You…yeah, okay," I clasp my hands together and follow Patch to a quieter spot at the bow of the ship. His scissors were already brandished and he was humming a shanty I recognized from our carriage ride together. It's embarrassing how I had to bite my cheek to keep myself from humming along to something so cheesy but Patch was just that kind of person.

"Right here, if ye don't mind, lass," Patch pulls a chair over to face the rail.

"The waves are choppy today," I comment, plopping down on the wooden chair. A warm towel was wrapped around my shoulders and with how nice sitting here feels, I was afraid that I was going to fall asleep. Lib wriggles under the towel to curl up in my lap. Having him snore there wasn't going to help keep me awake. "The ship's going to be bashed around. Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Lass, I've chopped hair fer rowdy adventurers, chopped hair in ragin' typhoons, and chopped hair fer rowdy adventurers in ragin' typhoons. That last one be a near disaster I be admittin', but that lad had only compliments…I did nearly shaved his head clean off o' his neck a few times. The lad's skull could o' been a shiny new home fer a crab somewhere down in Davy Jone's seaweed yard."

"Patch?"

"It be a joke, lass," The pirate barber chuckles, filling a metal basin full of fresh water. "Davy Jone's doesn't 'ave a seaweed yard, I hear."

"Ha…" I laugh dryly as he wets my hair.

It doesn't take long to comb my hair straight, which was strange. I hadn't bathed in weeks and I doubt a dunk in the salty, bacteria, and seagull shit toilet of the sparkling ocean would do any good for my hair.

Even more surprising was how the scissor blades snip through my hair. Sodden black pieces of my hair fall on to the towel, looking more like stones than the coarse strings that they usually were. It was shinier that way. Softer too. Maybe I should just keep my hair wet all the time but wouldn't I get sick easily? Oh whatever. Colds never keep me down for long.

No, no, no! I need to concentrate. Get to the point before the moment slips by again.

"Uh…how is Lilka?" I lose my nerve and ask about the pink-haired elf instead. Granted, I was worried about her. Lib still nips my finger, like he knows I'm being a wuss.

"After we hit port in Aika, the forces o' Falconreach met us an' set sail fer Sho'Nuff. I went with'em but Lilka stayed back to make sure someone was around to keep an eye on the village if any unwanted guests came with canons flarin.'"

"Where is she now?"

"On 'er way to Sho'Nuff to help rebuild. She be a fine seafarer an' the island needs as much supplies as 'er ships can carry. Sorry, lass. I don't think we be seein' 'er when we make port."

"Oh…" I bite down on my cheek harder.

Great, more supplies means more money and time. Good fucking going, me. They're probably going to need to donate sand to replace the mountains that Lib and I had displaced.

"Yuck," Liberta clicks his tongue out in disdain.

I was about to ask what the bratty dragon was bothered about. Gods, he's been so irritating since last night up to now. Did the loss bother him that much? Besides the occasional deterring gesture, Lib hadn't been as squawky as he ordinarily is. Just passive aggressive and moody.

"Chin up please," Patch tilts my head back up.

"Oops," I didn't notice that my chin had fallen. All of the depressing thoughts were making it too heavy.

"…Did you get to see your family during all of uh this?" I venture, hoping to squeeze out just one thing that went right.

"Not this time, lass."

Fuck.

Chuck me off the ship and let me drown. Please. Dear Gods, please.

"Butterbrain!" Lib chomps on my finger harder.

"Ow! What's your problem?" I hiss, jerking my hand away and Patch nearly snips my ear off.

"Be careful now, lass," Patch skillfully slices a clean angle down one of my bangs as I move. "An' don't be sad, lass. I didn't see 'em this time but wit'out you, I wouldn't 'ave seen them e'er again."

"Without me, this disaster wouldn't have happened in the first place," I blurt out and seeing as I already started, I might as well finish, "If I didn't come with you, the ninjas wouldn't have attacked us and if I had been thinking right, you could have gone to see your family. There wouldn't have been a war, you wouldn't have needed to help fix my mistake and…I'm sorry. I should have talked to you."

"Do ye think I be mad at you, lass?"

What a strange question to ask.

My answer was 'yes' but if Patch had been really mad, he would have blown up at me before like Ash, wouldn't he? Or this was the time he was going to blow up at me. If I touch my head, am I going to feel bald skin?

"Butterbrain!"

"Bite me again and the next purse taking up space in the basement is going to be you."

"Lass?" Patch hand flattens itself on the top of my head with a little wet slap. "Yer dragon's got the right idea but he be goin' about it a less than fittin' way. It be like if I was cuttin' yer hair with nail clippers."

So having a good idea in mind but taking the least efficient method possible?

"If words be fists, ye would 'ave given yerself more bruises than that storm of wars did an' I be thinkin' yer dragon doesn't like that," Patch leans over a bit to see if he was right about Lib. The dragon only snorts and retreats back under the towel.

"I not be mad. Only a little sad," The pirate barber goes back to fixing my slicked hair. Keeping my chin up for him was difficult, "but, make no mistake, lass. I be glad ye came along."

"Glad?" The urge to turn my head and gape at Patch was strong but that might ruin his work.

"Lass, I would 'ave gone to Sho Nuff wit' or with'out ye," Patch says, removing the towel from me, "The ninjas would 'ave attacked me an' Lilka without ye there but since ye were with us, ye got us a boat home. I be no doctor but I did understand that if we weren't fast enough finding 'elp, the bits in me head that got scrambled couldn't 'ave been fixed."

"You were that close becoming permanently blind?" I whirl around so fast, I almost knock my chair backwards but Patch catches the backrest before I do.

"Aye, lass. An' ye figured out that ninja's trick faster than I would 'ave. Imagine if me and Lilka 'ad to take on the sea with broken arms an' legs. Ye did good for the islanders too! Imagine if ye weren't there an' both Blackberry and that fox got their 'ands on the Pearl…As fer what happened after an' in between…ye learned. Ye learn and ye live an' I think ye learned enough to know ye were wrong about some thin's."

I know. A hundred times, I fucking know. I was…half-wrong.

It was wrong of me to take vengeance in Patch's name but that was only part of it. Thyton had been right about the other parts being made of my own pride and anger. Or, to be as specific as I can while the embarrassment is burning a hole in my stomach, I also did it because I would rather have gotten back at the pirates and ninjas than see my friends home safe and sound. That was deserving of several fatal stab wounds. I got off easy with one.

"Nn," I was trying to speak; to lay all of that out plain and simple but it was having a hard time climbing up my dry and constricted throat. Worst of all my eyes were stinging like crazy.

Who knew? I had an allergy to crippling guilt.

"But—" Patch slaps the towel over my head and roughly ruffles my wet hair. "—that be a past mistake. Everyone gets one free big one to learn from and ye be a good lass. I belie'e in you."

"Oof!" Struggling under the rough handling, I find my way to my feet and pull the towel back off—

-and walk into a crazy strong gust of wind courtesy of a beaming Patch with Libérta perching on his shining head.

"The towel wasn't doing anything to make your hair dry. Maybe it's still wet from all your brain juices leaking out, Butterbrain," Lib bares his fangs in what was the most threatening grin I have seen from someone who probably liked me.

"Now how about a smile, lass?" Patch asks.

Was there a reason to smile?

That's not the right question. I meant, if this trip had any other outcome, especially outcomes with body counts, would Patch and Lib have told me something else? Do I deserve to smile either way?

"It was a lot of luck," I murmur softly enough for my voice to get swallowed by the breeze.

A fuckton of terrible happened these past weeks but it could have been worse. It would be a waste to mess up and waste the tiny bit of good that happened right? The good that lead to another chance…

So I smile. The grin was forced and hurt my cheeks but it still passes for one.

The thanks I get is another gust of dragon wind magic in my face. Fuck, it was strong enough to nearly knock my teeth out. And it was hot! Was Lib trying to melt them too?

"Hey!" I shout, trying to regain my balance. I couldn't see it but I could feel how much of a frizzy bush the jerk blow dried my hair into. "That was mean!"

"You gonna do something about it?" Lib goads, silver tail standing straight up as a challenge.

"Yeah, I'm gonna tie you to a cannon and dump you in the ocean with the rest of your bros, seagull shit," Punching my fist into my palm, I lunge at Patch to grab Lib but the pirate playfully jumps back, taking advantage of my injury.

"That's really mean too!" I accuse the barber but he was already crawling away on all fours, like he was being nice and giving me a chance.

"It's on, ya giant losers," I try to hiss but it dies between my teeth and becomes a giggle.

Shuffling along on a freshly mopped deck, I start the best turtle-speed chase I've ever had.

* * *

"A word, Ty. If you please?" Eli's shadow falls over me once our ship nears the shores of Aika Village.

Tucked away in the corner of the bow, the three of us had sat down to rest after our chase ended with me sitting on top of Patch. Technically Lib came to curl back up in my lap. Patch had finished brushing my hair neat when Eli came over to take me away.

I'm surprised; he doesn't have any shackles or chains.

"It won't be a long talk but once we return to the beach, we can't have you coming home together with the others."

That bit didn't surprise me.

Libérta was growling, disliking how severe Eli sounds. His tiny chest was vibrating against my legs.

"Shh, it's fine," I scratch Lib's forehead and the growl becomes a whisper of a rumble.

Slowly, Patch helps me up and once I was leaning against the railing, the pirate nods and flashes me a small smile. I'm glad it won't be the last I'll see him but when the pirate went on his way to join the others at the gangplank, my stomach twists and turns.

"Ty, you understand the gravity of your actions?" Eli, brazenly forward, asks me.

"Yes."

"Do you understand that even with all of the wordplay, there will still be an inquiry launched by the crown?"

"Yes."

"Do you understand that should there be another misstep, you won't be the only one to face the royal court?"

"Yes," Lib stiffens, clinging to my shoulder as I answer Eli's questions.

"Do you have an inkling, even just a tiny hint of a feeling, that you will repeat this mistake again?"

"No," my answer is a promise I will keep, "this will never happen again."

Eli's expression remains neutral, masking how much my word mattered to him.

The clouds move overhead as the passengers of the ship disembark, leaving the head of Falconreach's Guardians and I facing each other.

When the last person exits the ship, Eli places his hand on my shoulder and pulls me in to speak softly to my ear.

"Ty, you and Lady Celestia will ride the same carriage. It will leave later than the others and you will not return to Falconreach. The Crown's Inquiry will be there to meet you if you do. That can't happen," Eli explains, curt and to the point, "It will be nightfall by the time you reach home and once the first light touches your roof, you must pack your supplies and leave."

"Where are you going to have me disappear?" I ask, somewhat weary of this plan. Lib was curling around my ankles protectively.

"You won't disappear," Eli shakes his head and knocks the edge of his helmet against me cheek. The guardian takes no notice, "the Hero of Falconreach, you, will go to Amityvale in the Doomwood to the South. An undead army is menacing the townspeople and you will go to protect them. You must not fail." Eli's grip on my shoulder gets stronger, stretching the leather of his gloves.

"By the time I take care of the undead problem…" I turn my head slightly, looking him in the eye, "—enough time will have passed to make the Sho'Nuff incident a petty worry. Especially in the shadow of Amityvale's praise."

"With the agreement to keep the details of your adventure forgotten, the inquiry will become a waste of time and resources," Eli affirms, releasing my shoulder.

And he walks away. There was nothing more for him to say.

But I still needed to know for sure before I do as he ordered.

"Why go through so much trouble?" I call after him, stopping Eli in his tracks. "Sure, we're saving our tails but you could have just come out with the truth and blame it on me. You might get in trouble but most of the focus would be on my actions."

For a while, it was just us and the creaking of the ship's boards.

With his back to me, I couldn't tell what Eli was thinking. Without pupils to follow, little twitches here and there, or the tells in the flush of his skin, I might as well have been in the dark.

"The guardians and adventurers of Falconreach are my charges," He says, tilting his head back, "Whatever happens, my first duty is to them and you. This is…This will never be something I will be proud of, however…I believe in you. I believe you will do great things."

What a fucking thing to say.

If Eli was thinking that shoving all that belief on me was going to make me fly to greater heights, I hope he's fine with the pressure driving me into my grave. Technically that's going somewhere.

"I can't give you another opportunity like this again. I don't think I'll ever be able to give this opportunity to anyone else," Eli continues, trailing off into his own thoughts, "Oh, and I almost forgot to mention—" The guardian takes a dramatic pause.

Wow, don't fucking do this. Gods, Eli. Don't.

"…I hope you know your fruits."

And then he leaves. For real this time.

"W-wait! What's that supposed to mean? Know my fruits? Am I going to start a fruit farm? Is it for the undead invasion? Are the undead there only vulnerable to fruits shoved up their butts? I don't know if I can do that!" I stammer and if my chest wasn't literally tearing me apart, I would have tackled him to the deck.

Gods, that was fucking nasty. Not that I don't deserve that but fucking still.

"At the least, I get to go home for a bit," I sigh, inspecting my bandaged hands. Under my new gloves, my fingers were tingling.

"Did you have an enjoyable time?"

Set up at the perfect moment, even Lady Celestia's voice could make flinch. Or maybe a part of me was still on Sho'Nuff, wary of another attempt on my poor weak heart.

"Yup!" Not knowing if she meant the boat ride, my haircut, or the entire vacation from miscommunication hell, I answer anyways to hide that I had been startled by her.

"Miss Ty?" Kordana speaks up, her new compact body strapped to Lady Celestia's wrist by a thin white band. "I can detect distress in your voice and body language. You had a hectic ordeal so there's no need to be embarrassed like your voice and body language also suggests you are."

"Uh…"

"Oops, sorry about that. My comment has induced a more extreme embarrassment."

"UH!"

"This would be a good time for a nap. What else is there to do on such a long road back?" Lady Celestia takes my arm the same way she had taken Eli's. Lib snakes in between us to nose at her dress. "Not to mention there is work to be done once we return to your home…along with a proper talk I should have had with you a long time ago."

"Ma-…Lady Celestia?" I become uneasy.

"We should let you rest till then." She begins to walk, staying at a slow pace to accommodate my injuries.

If I didn't know any better, I would have thought that Lady Celestia wanted to put off that talk for as long as possible.

"How long do we need to wait before we leave?" I ask as the two of us gradually made our way down the gangplank. All of the others were crowded at the edge of the beach, reining the horses up for the trip back.

There was a lot of chatter there and some sprinkled about the beach. It would have been nice if the villagers could gossip without staring at me and the Lady. Gods, have the decency to pretend you're talking about deboning fish with your debone-ers or something.

Pfft, debone-ers.

"Get out of the gutter, Butterbrain," Lib sticks his tongue out at me before launching off to fly down the beach. It was one last stretch in the sun before we had to get stuffed into a cramped box.

"That's a wonderful idea," Lady Celestia notes while I fume from Lib's jab but, I don't remember talking out loud.

Should I ask Lady Celestia? Yeah, let me ask her if I was laughing about boners. That'll be a nice way to wrap up the beach trip.

"A walk by the water before we go?" I take a step forward on the hot sand and the Lady matches me.

The stroll was quiet and the sound of the rough waves battering the shore was more than enough conversation. Same with the rustling trees as we made our way to the waiting lone carriage, and the clicking of the horse's hoofs as we were driven back inland. Even Lib kept his snores to a minimum.

All of that nothing-to-say was strained, if anything else since…I'm sure the next time we speak, we aren't going to think the same of each other.

Sincerely, I was afraid the carriage ride would end before I was ready but somewhere along the way, I fall into a deep sleep pillowed by the Lady's shoulder and dream about my mother caressing my hair.


End file.
